1958 nasa launches pioneer 1 its first space probe although it 10 11
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1958 68 years ago Historical Events October 11

NASA launches Pioneer 1, its first space probe, although it fails to achieve a stable orbit.

On October 11, in the year 1958, NASA launches Pioneer 1, its first space probe, although it fails to achieve a stable orbit. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of October 11, a notable event in this corner of history.

Pioneer 1 was an American space probe, the first under the auspices of NASA, which was launched by a Thor-Able rocket on 11 October 1958. It was intended to orbit the Moon and make scientific measurements, but due to a guidance error failed to achieve lunar orbit and was ultimately destroyed upon reentering Earth's atmosphere. The flight, which lasted 43 hours and reached an apogee of 113,800 km, was the second and most successful of the three Thor-Able space probes.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on October 11, 1958 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 1 Wikipedia article.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 12 June 2026.

On This Date in History

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2025 Oct 11 Diane Keaton, American actress (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2024 Oct 11 Jamaluddin Hossain, Bangladeshi actor (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2022 Oct 11 Angela Lansbury, English-American actress, singer, and producer (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2019 Oct 11 Alexei Leonov, Soviet/Russian cosmonaut and first human to conduct a spacewalk (born 1934)
Historical Events 2018 Oct 11 Soyuz MS-10, launching an intended crew for the ISS, suffers an in-flight abort. The crew lands safely.
Notable Deaths 2017 Oct 11 Clifford Husbands, Barbadian politician (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2015 Oct 11 Dean Chance, American baseball player and manager (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 11 Anita Cerquetti, Italian soprano (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 11 Carmelo Simeone, Argentinian footballer (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2014 Oct 11 Bob Such, Australian educator and politician (born 1944)
Historical Events 2013 Oct 11 A migrant boat sinks in the Channel of Sicily, with at least 359 people drowning.
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 11 María de Villota, Spanish race car driver (born 1980)
Notable Deaths 2013 Oct 11 Erich Priebke, German captain (born 1913)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 11 Avrohom Genachowsky, Israeli rabbi (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 11 Helmut Haller, German footballer and coach (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 11 Edward Kossoy, Polish lawyer, publicist, and activist (born 1913)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 11 Édgar Negret, Colombian sculptor (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2012 Oct 11 Champ Summers, American baseball player and coach (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2009 Oct 11 Angelo DiGeorge, American physician and endocrinologist (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2009 Oct 11 Halit Refiğ, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 11 Marjorie Fletcher, English Director of the Women's Royal Naval Service (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 11 Jörg Haider, Austrian lawyer and politician, Governor of Carinthia (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 11 Ernst-Paul Hasselbach, Surinamese-Dutch television host and producer (born 1966)
Notable Deaths 2008 Oct 11 Neal Hefti, American trumpet player and composer (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2007 Oct 11 David Lee "Tex" Hill, South Korean-American general and pilot (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2007 Oct 11 Werner von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2006 Oct 11 Cory Lidle, American baseball player (born 1972)
Notable Deaths 2005 Oct 11 Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, Pakistani-Canadian linguist, journalist, and poet (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2005 Oct 11 Attilâ İlhan, Turkish poet, author, and journalist (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2005 Oct 11 Edward Szczepanik, Polish economist and politician, Prime Minister of Poland (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2004 Oct 11 Keith Miller, Australian cricketer and pilot (born 1919)
Historical Events 2002 Oct 11 A bomb attack in a Myyrmanni shopping mall in Vantaa, Finland kills seven.
Selected Events 2002 Oct 11 A bomb exploded in the Myyrmanni shopping center in Helsinki, Finland (aftermath pictured), resulting in seven deaths…
Historical Events 2001 Oct 11 The Polaroid Corporation files for federal bankruptcy protection.
Notable Births 2001 Oct 11 Maja Chwalińska, Polish tennis player
Notable Births 2001 Oct 11 Daniel Maldini, Italian footballer
Notable Births 2001 Oct 11 Jacob Preston, Australian rugby league player
Notable Births 2001 Oct 11 Chu Ye-jin, South Korean actress
Notable Deaths 2001 Oct 11 Beni Montresor, Italian director, set designer, and illustrator (born 1926)
Historical Events 2000 Oct 11 NASA launches STS-92, the 100th Space Shuttle mission.
Notable Deaths 2000 Oct 11 Luc-Marie Bayle, French historian, photographer, and painter (born 1914)
Notable Deaths 2000 Oct 11 Donald Dewar, Scottish politician, 1st First Minister of Scotland (born 1937)
Historical Events 1999 Oct 11 Air Botswana pilot Chris Phatswe steals an ATR 42 from Sir Seretse Khama International Airport and later crashes it…
Notable Births 1999 Oct 11 Leicester Fainga'anuku, New Zealand rugby union player
Notable Births 1999 Oct 11 Keldon Johnson, American basketball player
Notable Deaths 1999 Oct 11 Leo Lionni, Dutch-American author and illustrator (born 1910)
Notable Deaths 1998 Oct 11 Richard Denning, American actor (born 1914)
Notable Births 1996 Oct 11 Rhea Ripley, Australian wrestler
Notable Births 1996 Oct 11 Arman Tsarukyan, Armenian professional mixed martial artist
Notable Deaths 1996 Oct 11 Keith Boyce, Barbadian cricketer (born 1943)

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

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