On this day

12 November in history.

5 moments from 1936 to 2014: discovery, creativity and courage, each with a source to read more.

5 moments

Artist's impression of the Philae lander.

2014

Philae lands on a comet. Philae, a lander from the European Space Agency, touched down on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. No spacecraft had ever landed on a comet before.

Wikipedia: European Space Agency

Photo: ESA/ATG medialab / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

More from 12 November

  1. The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge seen from above.

    1936

    The Bay Bridge opens

    The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in California opened to traffic.

    Wikipedia: San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge

    Photo: InvadingInvader / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

  2. 1980

    Voyager 1 flies close to Saturn

    NASA's Voyager 1 made its closest pass by Saturn and took the first pictures of the planet's rings.

    Wikipedia: NASAWikipedia: Voyager 1Wikipedia: Saturn

  3. Tim Berners-Lee speaking in 2025.

    1990

    Tim Berners-Lee proposes the World Wide Web

    Tim Berners-Lee put forward his formal proposal for the World Wide Web.

    Wikipedia: Tim Berners-LeeWikipedia: World Wide Web

    Photo: Summit / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

  4. A maglev train leaving Shanghai's Pudong International Airport.

    2003

    Shanghai's maglev sets a speed record

    Shanghai's Transrapid train reached 501 km/h (311 mph), a world speed record for commercial railways that still stands for unmodified trains.

    Wikipedia: Shanghai maglev trainWikipedia: List of speed records in rail transport

    Photo: User Alex Needham (own photography) on en.wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

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