On this day

3 February in history.

5 moments from 1488 to 1995: discovery, creativity and courage, each with a source to read more.

5 moments

Eileen Collins

1995

The first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle. Eileen Collins took the controls of Discovery on mission STS-63. Four years later she became the first woman to command a shuttle mission too.

Wikipedia: Eileen Collins

Photo: Robert Markowitz / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

More from 3 February

  1. Statue of Bartolomeu Dias at the High Commission of South Africa in London

    1488

    Sailing around the tip of Africa

    Portuguese sailor Bartolomeu Dias came ashore at Mossel Bay after passing the Cape of Good Hope. No European was known to have travelled so far south along Africa before him.

    Wikipedia: Bartolomeu DiasWikipedia: Cape of Good Hope

    Photo: Bartolomeu_Dias,_South_Africa_House.JPG : RedCoat ( en:User:RedCoat10 ) derivative work… / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

  2. The greater coat of arms of the United States of America, as depicted on passports, embassies and the Great Seal

    1870

    A promise about the right to vote

    The Fifteenth Amendment became part of the US Constitution. It said no citizen could be denied the vote because of race.

    Wikipedia: Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

    Photo: Ssolbergj / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  3. Mockup of the Lunar 9 soviet satellit (1966), Museum of Air and Space Paris, Le Bourget (France)

    1966

    A gentle landing on the Moon

    The Soviet probe Luna 9 became the first spacecraft to land softly on the Moon, and it sent back the first pictures taken from the surface.

    Wikipedia: Luna 9

    Photo: Pline / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

  4. The entrance to Pixar's studio lot in Emeryville, California , photographed by User:Coolcaesar on April 16, 2007

    1986

    Steve Jobs backs a small animation studio

    Steve Jobs bought a computer graphics group from Lucasfilm and set it up as an independent company called Pixar. Nine years later it released Toy Story.

    Wikipedia: PixarWikipedia: Steve Jobs

    Photo: Coolcaesar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Moments chosen for discovery, creativity and courage. Each one links to a source where you can read more; photos are credited to their owners.