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Space history timeline

7,076 records

1930s

12 records

  1. 1931

    1. 1931-03-26

      Category: Type:

      Role:

      Leonard Nimoy: birth.

  2. 1932

    1. 1932-12-28

      Category: Type:

      Role:

      Nichelle Nichols: birth.

  3. 1933

    1. 1933-05-05 astronomical discovery

      Category: Type:

      A New York Times report brought Karl Jansky’s detection of radio emission from the Milky Way to public attention.

  4. 1934

    1. 1934 CE Year only astronomy theory

      Walter Baade and Fritz Zwicky proposed that supernovae can mark the formation of neutron stars.

    2. 1934-11-09

      Category: Type:

      Role:

      Carl Sagan — birth (1934-11-09).

  5. 1935

    1. 1935-04-14

      Category: Type:

      Role:

      Emmy Noether: death.

  6. 1936

    1. 1936-08-17

      Category: Type:

      Role: ,

      Margaret Hamilton — birth (1936-08-17).

  7. 1937

    1. 1937-02-22

      Category: Type:

      Role:

      Joanna Russ: birth.

  8. 1938

    1. 1938-08 Month only

      Category: Type:

      Who Goes There? () by John W. Campbell Jr.

      Who Goes There?: publication.

  9. 1939

    1. 1939-03 Month only

      Category: Type:

      Marooned off Vesta () by Isaac Asimov

      Marooned off Vesta: publication.

    2. 1939-08 Month only

      Category: Type:

      Life-Line () by Robert A. Heinlein

      Life-Line: publication.

    3. 1939-09-01 astronomy theory

      Category: Type:

      The paper described continuing gravitational collapse of a massive star.

1940s

8 records

  1. 1940

    1. 1940-08-08

      Category: Type:

      Role: ,

      Dennis Tito — birth (1940-08-08).

  2. 1941

    1. 1941-09 Month only

      Category: Type:

      Nightfall () by Isaac Asimov

      Nightfall: publication.

  3. 1942

    1. 1942-04-01

      Category: Type:

      Role:

      Samuel R. Delany: birth.

  4. 1946

    1. 1946-08-13

      Category: Type:

      Role:

      H. G. Wells: death.

  5. 1947

    1. 1947 Year only

      Category: Type:

      Rocket Ship Galileo () by Robert A. Heinlein

      Rocket Ship Galileo: publication.

    2. 1947-06-22

      Category: Type:

      Role:

      Octavia E. Butler — birth (1947-06-22).

  6. 1949

    1. 1949-02-24 rocketry history

      Category: Type:

      A two-stage Bumper rocket reached approximately 393 kilometers in a high-altitude test.

    2. 1949-09-29 solar science

      A Naval Research Laboratory detector on a V-2 rocket measured X-rays from the Sun.

1950s

25 records

  1. 1950

    1. 1950 Year only

      Category: Type:

      The Martian Chronicles () by Ray Bradbury

      The Martian Chronicles: publication.

    2. 1950 Year only

      Category: Type:

      I, Robot () by Isaac Asimov

      I, Robot: publication.

    3. 1950-09-23

      Category: Type:

      The Veldt () by Ray Bradbury

      The Veldt: publication.

  2. 1951

    1. 1951 Year only

      Category: Type:

      Foundation () by Isaac Asimov

      Foundation: publication.

    2. 1951-09 Month only

      Category: Type:

      The Day the Earth Stood Still () by Robert WiseAFI's 10 Top 10: Science Fiction, rank 5; AFI official Letterboxd list, consulted 2026-10-29.

      The Day the Earth Stood Still: film release.

  3. 1952

    1. 1952-06-28

      Category: Type:

      A Sound of Thunder () by Ray Bradbury

      A Sound of Thunder: publication.

    2. 1952-07 Month only

      Category: Type:

      Beyond Lies the Wub () by Philip K. Dick

      Beyond Lies the Wub: publication.

  4. 1953

    1. 1953 Year only

      Category: Type:

      Fahrenheit 451 () by Ray Bradbury

      Fahrenheit 451: publication.

    2. 1953-09-06

      Category: Type:

      The Demolished Man () by Alfred BesterAward: Hugo Award — Best NovelRole:

      The Demolished Man — 1953 Hugo Award, Best Novel (1953-09-06).

    3. 1953-10 Month only

      Category: Type:

      The Caves of Steel () by Isaac Asimov

      The Caves of Steel: publication.

  5. 1954

    1. 1954-06-07

      Category: Type:

      Role: ,

      Alan Turing: death.

  6. 1955

    1. 1955 Year only

      Category: Type:

      They’d Rather Be Right () by Mark Clifton and Frank RileyAward: Hugo Award — Best NovelRole:

      They’d Rather Be Right — 1955 Hugo Award, Best Novel (1955).

  7. 1956

    1. 1956 Year only

      Category: Type:

      Double Star () by Robert A. HeinleinAward: Hugo Award — Best NovelRole:

      Double Star — 1956 Hugo Award, Best Novel (1956).

    2. 1956-02-05

      Category: Type:

      Invasion of the Body Snatchers () by Don SiegelAFI's 10 Top 10: Science Fiction, rank 9; AFI official Letterboxd list, consulted 2026-10-29.

      Invasion of the Body Snatchers: film release.

    3. 1956-02-23 solar science

      Ground-based instruments registered an exceptionally large increase in solar energetic particles.

  8. 1958

    1. 1958 Year only

      Category: Type:

      The Big Time () by Fritz LeiberAward: Hugo Award — Best NovelRole:

      The Big Time — 1958 Hugo Award, Best Novel (1958).

    2. 1958-01-04 mission end

      Category: Type:

      Mission:

      The first artificial satellite reentered Earth’s atmosphere.

    3. 1958-05-30

      Category: Type:

      Role: ,

      Michael López-Alegría is born (1958-05-30).

    4. 1958-07-29 space policy

      Category: Type:

      : National Aeronautics and Space Act

      President Dwight Eisenhower signed the law creating NASA.

    5. 1958-10-01 space policy

      Category: Type:

      NASA opened as the United States’ civilian aeronautics and space agency.

    6. 1958-10-03

      Category: Type:

      Committee on Space Research — formal establishment (1958-10-03).

  9. 1959

    1. 1959 Year only

      Category: Type:

      A Case of Conscience () by James BlishAward: Hugo Award — Best NovelRole:

      A Case of Conscience — 1959 Hugo Award, Best Novel (1959).

    2. 1959-04-09 human spaceflight

      Category: Type:

      NASA announced its first seven astronauts.

    3. 1959-05-01 observatory institution

      Category: Type:

      NASA established a space-science center named for rocket pioneer Robert Goddard.

    4. 1959-09-13 impact

      Moon impact.

1960s

5 records

  1. 1960

    1. 1960 Year only

      Category: Type:

      Starship Troopers (alt: Starship Soldier) () by Robert A. HeinleinAward: Hugo Award — Best NovelRole:

      Starship Troopers (alt: Starship Soldier) — 1960 Hugo Award, Best Novel (1960).

    2. 1960-03-23 launch failure

      Category: Type:

      Mission:

      Juno II launched on the NASA S-46 flight from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, pad LC26B. Launch failure.

    3. 1960-04-16 launch failure

      Category: Type:

      Mission:

      Vostok-L 8K72 launched on the E-3 No. 2 flight from NIIP-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan, pad LC1. Launch failure.

    4. 1960-05-13 launch failure

      Category: Type:

      Mission:

      Thor Delta launched on the Echo flight from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, pad LC17A. Launch failure.

    5. 1960-05-15 launch

      Category: Type:

      Mission:

      Vostok 8K72 launched on the Korabl'-Sputnik flight from NIIP-5, Baykonur, Kazakstan, pad LC1. Launch vehicle success.

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