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Stephen Hawking dies at 76

He was a British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author, and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. Hawking had a rare form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He died peacefully at his home in Cambridge in the morning.

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is launched from Baikonur

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is a collaborative project between the European Space Agency and Roscosmos that sent an atmospheric research orbiter and the Schiaparelli demonstration lander to Mars in 2016 as part of the European-led ExoMars programme.

American astronaut Eugene Cernan is born

He flew to space three times. His first mission was Gemini 9A, after the unfortunate death of the original crew in a T-38 crash. In 1969 Cernan flew as a lunar module pilot in Apollo 10. He descended from orbit to 15.6 km of the lunar surface. In 1972, Cernan flew as a commander of the last mission to the Moon, Apollo 17.

Zeppelin is patented

German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his rigid airship in the United States. His design was so successful that the rigid airships became commonly known as zeppelins. In the Great War, they were used for bombing. After the war, zeppelins served as luxurious airliners, capable even of transatlantic flights.

Cotton gin

American inventor Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin, a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibres from their seeds. His device allowed greater productivity than manual cotton separation. It revolutionized the cotton industry in the United States, but also led to the growth of slavery in the American South.

Anniversaries of the (in)famous

died 1883

Karl Marx

born 1934

Eugene Cernan

born 1928

Frank Borman