1956 usaf captain milburn g
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1956 70 years ago Historical Events September 27 2 sources

USAF Captain Milburn G. Apt becomes the first person to exceed Mach 3. Shortly thereafter, the Bell X-2 goes out of control and Captain Apt is killed.

On September 27, in the year 1956, USAF Captain Milburn G. Apt becomes the first person to exceed Mach 3. Shortly thereafter, the Bell X-2 goes out of control and Captain Apt is killed. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of September 27, a notable event in this corner of history.

Milburn Grant "Mel" Apt was a U.S. Air Force test pilot, and the first man to attain speeds faster than Mach 3. He was killed after separating from the Bell X-2 in his escape capsule during the record-setting flight that exceeded Mach 3. Shortly afterward, Secretary of the Air Force Donald A. Quarles commended Apt, saying he was "flying faster than any human being has been known to fly."

Key Facts

  • This event took place on September 27, 1956 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 5 July 2026.

On This Date in History

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2025 Sep 27 Russell M. Nelson, 17th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (born 1924)
Historical Events 2024 Sep 27 Hurricane Helene devastates the Carolinas as a tropical storm, killing hundreds and injuring more.
Notable Deaths 2024 Sep 27 Hassan Nasrallah, Lebanese politician, 3rd Secretary-General of Hezbollah (born 1960)
Notable Deaths 2024 Sep 27 Maggie Smith, English actress (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2023 Sep 27 Michael Gambon, Irish-English actor (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2021 Sep 27 Madeleine Tchicaya, Ivorian politician (born 1930)
Historical Events 2020 Sep 27 Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan launches an offensive against the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh in the…
Historical Events 2019 Sep 27 Over two million people participated in worldwide strikes to protest climate change across 2,400 locations worldwide.
Notable Deaths 2018 Sep 27 Kavita Mahajan, Indian author and translator (born 1967)
Notable Deaths 2018 Sep 27 Michael Payton, American football quarterback (born 1970)
Notable Deaths 2018 Sep 27 Manoharsinhji Pradyumansinhji, Indian nobleman and politician (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2018 Sep 27 Marty Balin, American singer, co-founder of the band Jefferson Airplane (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2017 Sep 27 Hugh Hefner, American publisher, founder of Playboy Enterprises (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 27 Syed Ahmed, Indian author and politician, 16th Governor of Manipur (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 27 Pietro Ingrao, Italian journalist and politician (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 27 Kallen Pokkudan, Indian activist and author (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 27 Frank Tyson, English-Australian cricketer, coach, and journalist (born 1930)
Historical Events 2014 Sep 27 63 people are killed in an eruption of Mount Ontake in Japan.
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 27 Gaby Aghion, French fashion designer, founded Chloé (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 27 Wally Hergesheimer, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 27 Abdelmajid Lakhal, Tunisian actor and director (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 27 James Traficant, American lawyer and politician (born 1941)
Selected Events 2014 Sep 27 Mount Ontake in central Japan unexpectedly erupted, killing 63 people in the nation's deadliest eruption in more than…
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 27 Oscar Castro-Neves, Brazilian-American guitarist, composer, and conductor (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 27 Mauricio González-Gordon y Díez, Spanish sherry maker and conservationist (born 1923)
Historical Events 2012 Sep 27 In Minneapolis, a gunman shoots eight people, killing six and injuring 2 and then kills himself.
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 27 Eddie Bert, American trombonist (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 27 Herbert Lom, Czech-English actor (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 27 David Croft, English director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 27 Imre Makovecz, Hungarian architect (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 27 Johnny "Country" Mathis, American singer-songwriter (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2010 Sep 27 Balaji Sadasivan, Singaporean neurosurgeon and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Singapore (born 1955)
Notable Deaths 2009 Sep 27 Ivan Dykhovichny, Russian director and screenwriter (born 1947)
Historical Events 2008 Sep 27 CNSA astronaut Zhai Zhigang becomes the first Chinese person to perform a spacewalk.
Notable Deaths 2008 Sep 27 Henri Pachard, American director and producer (born 1939)
Historical Events 2007 Sep 27 NASA launches the Dawn probe to the asteroid belt.
Notable Deaths 2007 Sep 27 Dale Houston, American singer-songwriter (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2007 Sep 27 Kenji Nagai, Japanese photographer and journalist (born 1957)
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 27 Helmut Kallmeyer, German chemist and soldier (born 1910)
Notable Deaths 2005 Sep 27 Ronald Golias, Brazilian comedian and actor (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2005 Sep 27 Mary Lee Settle, American novelist, essayist, and memoirist (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2004 Sep 27 John E. Mack, American psychiatrist and author (born 1929)
Historical Events 2003 Sep 27 The SMART-1 satellite is launched.
Notable Deaths 2003 Sep 27 Jean Lucas, French racing driver (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2003 Sep 27 Donald O'Connor, American actor, singer, and dancer (born 1925)
Notable Births 2002 Sep 27 Jenna Ortega, American actress
Historical Events 2001 Sep 27 In Switzerland, a gunman shoots 18 citizens, killing 14 and then himself.
Notable Births 2001 Sep 27 Caleb Love, American basketball player
Notable Births 2001 Sep 27 David Malukas, American race car driver
Historical Events 1998 Sep 27 The Google internet search engine retroactively claims this date as its birthday.

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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