· On this day, 1957

The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, carrying the space dog Laika as the first living creature to enter orbit around Earth.

1957 69 years ago

Sputnik 2, or Prosteyshiy Sputnik 2, launched on 3 November 1957, was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit, and the first to carry an animal into orbit, a Soviet space dog named Laika.
Wikipedia

Why this: One of the anniversaries Wikipedia's editors selected for today's date
Source: Wikipedia, On this day · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kind: REFERENCE

Read the article More on this day Open in Yank

Spacebar or → for the next, ← to go back; swipe on a phone.

Everything in today's pool (41)

World (9)

M 5.3 earthquake, 81 km SSE of Palekastro, GreeceStrongest in 24 hours · USGS
Tropical Cyclone MURASU-26, IndiaHighest alert now · red · GDACS
Tornado Watch, Atoka, OK, Bryan, OK, Coal, OK and 5 moreMost severe US alert · extreme · National Weather Service
Midterm campaign enters final weekend as Alaska, California ballot fights heat upMost listed this week · Wikipedia
Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)Most listed this week · Wikipedia
Binance says withdrawals stabilizing after $6.3-billion heistMost listed this week · Wikipedia
European supermarket fridges hit by second suspected cyberattackMost listed this week · Wikipedia
British man returns home after 28 years of walking across the globeMost listed this week · Wikipedia
One million more scans to help catch cancer soonerNewest official record · UK Government

Space (4)

USSF-432Next launch · Launch Library 2, The Space Devs
International Space StationOverhead now · ARISS, the station's published two-line elements
11 people are in spaceIn space now · Launch Library 2, The Space Devs
Asteroid 2019 XF2Nearest in 60 days · NASA/JPL CNEOS

Money (2)

Mexican peso (MXN)Biggest move · European Central Bank
MonacoLongest life expectancy at birth · World Bank

History (11)

A CIA drone strike kills six militants in Yemen, constituting the first targeted killing of the war on terror.On this day, 2002 · Wikipedia, On this day
Abdullah Çatlı, a leader of the ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves, was killed in a car crash near Susurluk, Turkey, sparking a scandal that exposed the depth of the state's complicity in organized crime.On this day, 1996 · Wikipedia, On this day
U.S. president Richard Nixon made a plea for support from the "silent majority", referring to those Americans who did not join in the large demonstrations against the Vietnam War at the time.On this day, 1969 · Wikipedia, On this day
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, carrying the space dog Laika as the first living creature to enter orbit around Earth.On this day, 1957 · Wikipedia, On this day
Suez Crisis: During an invasion of the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers shot and killed hundreds of Palestinian refugees and local inhabitants in Khan Yunis.On this day, 1956 · Wikipedia, On this day
The first film (poster pictured) featuring the giant monster Godzilla was released nationwide in Japan.On this day, 1954 · Wikipedia, On this day
The Chicago Daily Tribune published the erroneous headline "Dewey Defeats Truman" (pictured) in its early morning edition shortly after incumbent U.S. president Harry S. Truman officially upset the heavily favored governor of New York Thomas Dewey in the presidential election.On this day, 1948 · Wikipedia, On this day
The Holocaust: The largest massacre of Jews by German forces began at the Majdanek concentration camp in occupied Poland.On this day, 1943 · Wikipedia, On this day
The Redwood gazette, Redwood Falls, Minn.100 years ago today · Library of Congress, Chronicling America
Kendall Jenner, American model and socialiteBorn on this day, 1995 · Wikipedia, On this day
Henri Matisse, French painter and sculptor (born 1869)Died on this day, 1954 · Wikipedia, On this day

Culture (4)

Sir Patrick StewartDied this week · Wikipedia, Deaths in 2026
William NordhausDied this week · Wikipedia, Deaths in 2026
Other MommyNew film this week · Wikidata
Phantom Blade ZeroNew video game this week · Wikidata

Curious (11)

Ich geh und suche mit Verlangen, BWV 49Featured today · Wikipedia
Orange-lined triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus), Red Sea, Egypt. This demersal triggerfish has a maximum body size of about 30 centimetres (12 in) and is found across the Indo-western Pacific East Africa, Red Sea and Japan, typically in coral reefs ecosystems, coral lagoons, and external reef slopes within this area. Within coral reefs, the orange-lined triggerfish are more versatile than other triggerfish species and can be found at depths up to 50 metres (160 ft), although studies have found that they prefer depths of 2 to 8 metres (6 ft 7 in to 26 ft 3 in). It's an omnivorous feeder that can, because of its strong and heavy teeth, tackle a variety of benthic prey like cnidarians, molluscs, ctenophores, crustaceans, other fish, algae, and echinoderms. This species in particular, given its broad diet and distribution, is a crucial component in coral reef ecosystems through top-down control and especially through consumption of sea-urchin.Picture of the day · Wikimedia Commons
... that Fortescue Cuming gave a "reasonably sane" account of Kentucky after his travels in 1807?Did you know · Wikipedia, Did you know
... that six people died in floods next to the Cueyamil railway station, on an avenue where residents had previously reported problems with the drainage system?Did you know · Wikipedia, Did you know
... that organist and choirmaster Albert Ham banned women from singing in the choir of the Cathedral Church of St. James for more than 30 years?Did you know · Wikipedia, Did you know
... that Nikola Tesla recalled harnessing the power of four cockchafers as one of his first "inventions" as a child?Did you know · Wikipedia, Did you know
... that a video game modder put an entire video game console inside a video game cartridge?Did you know · Wikipedia, Did you know
... that, when Razis threw his entrails at enemy soldiers, it implied their defeat despite the act resulting in his death?Did you know · Wikipedia, Did you know
Susan Saint JamesFastest rising yesterday · Wikimedia page views
Learjet 60Fastest rising yesterday · Wikimedia page views
Haley StevensFastest rising yesterday · Wikimedia page views