1904day.year
Comparative fuel trials begin between warships HMS Spiteful and HMS Peterel: Spiteful was the first warship powered solely by fuel oil, and the trials led to the obsolescence of coal in ships of the Royal Navy.
In 1904, the Royal Navy tested the first fuel oil–powered warship against a traditional coal-powered vessel, paving the way for modern naval propulsion.
In December 1904, HMS Spiteful and HMS Peterel underwent comparative trials to evaluate fuel oil versus coal propulsion.
Spiteful, the first warship to run exclusively on oil, demonstrated faster startup, higher efficiency, and extended range.
The trials revealed the strategic advantages of oil, including reduced crew labor and cleaner operations.
Within years, the Royal Navy initiated a broad conversion of its fleet, marking the obsolescence of coal.
This technological shift reshaped naval logistics and influenced global naval power balances.
1904
warships
HMS Spiteful
HMS Peterel
fuel oil
Royal Navy
1930day.year
W1XAV in Boston, Massachusetts telecasts video from the CBS radio orchestra program, The Fox Trappers. The telecast also includes the first television advertisement in the United States, for I.J. Fox Furriers, which also sponsored the radio show.
In 1930, Boston’s experimental TV station W1XAV broadcast the CBS radio program The Fox Trappers, featuring the first television advertisement aired in the United States.
On December 7, 1930, W1XAV in Boston transmitted a live video feed of CBS’s The Fox Trappers orchestra program.
This broadcast marked one of the earliest demonstrations of television’s potential for mass entertainment.
It also introduced the first US television commercial, an advertisement for I.J. Fox Furriers, directly sponsoring the radio show.
Although viewed by a small audience of experimental viewers, the event foreshadowed the future of broadcast advertising.
It highlighted television’s emerging role in media, advertising, and popular culture.
1930
W1XAV
Boston, Massachusetts
CBS
television advertisement
1972day.year
Apollo 17, the last Apollo Moon mission, is launched. The crew takes the photograph known as The Blue Marble as they leave the Earth.
Apollo 17, NASA’s final Apollo Moon mission, launches on December 7, 1972, capturing the iconic ‘Blue Marble’ photograph of Earth en route.
At 12:33 AM EST, Apollo 17 lifts off from Kennedy Space Center, carrying astronauts Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, and Ronald Evans.
The crew embarks on a three-day journey to the lunar surface, conducting scientific experiments and geology surveys.
On the way, Astronaut Evans photographs Earth, producing the ‘Blue Marble’ image that becomes one of history’s most famous pictures.
Apollo 17’s success marks the end of NASA’s manned Apollo lunar expeditions.
The mission contributes valuable data on the Moon and highlights Earth’s fragile beauty.
1972
Apollo 17
Apollo Moon mission
The Blue Marble
1995day.year
The Galileo spacecraft arrives at Jupiter, a little more than six years after it was launched by Space Shuttle Atlantis during Mission STS-34.
On December 7, 1995, NASA’s Galileo probe successfully entered orbit around Jupiter after a six-year journey.
On December 7, 1995, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft achieved orbit around Jupiter, more than six years after its launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-34).
Despite the loss of its high-gain antenna, Galileo’s instruments transmitted groundbreaking data about the Jovian system.
The mission included the first probe descent into Jupiter’s atmosphere and multiple flybys of its Galilean moons.
Galileo revealed intense volcanic activity on Io and evidence of a subsurface ocean on Europa.
Its observations of Jupiter’s magnetic field and radiation belts reshaped our understanding of gas giants.
Galileo paved the way for future outer planet exploration missions.
1995
Galileo spacecraft
Jupiter
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Mission STS-34
2015day.year
The JAXA probe Akatsuki successfully enters orbit around Venus five years after the first attempt.
On December 7, 2015, JAXA’s Akatsuki spacecraft successfully entered orbit around Venus on its second attempt.
On December 7, 2015, Japan’s Akatsuki probe achieved orbital insertion around Venus, five years after a failed first maneuver.
Launched in 2010, the mission spent years trailing the planet before executing a critical engine burn.
Equipped with infrared and ultraviolet cameras, Akatsuki began detailed studies of Venus’s cloud dynamics and weather systems.
Its observations uncovered new insights into the planet’s super-rotating atmosphere and thermal structure.
The achievement highlighted perseverance in deep-space navigation and international collaboration.
Akatsuki continues to send valuable data, enhancing our understanding of Earth’s hottest neighbor.
2015
JAXA
Akatsuki
Venus