1966 lunar orbiter 1 takes the first photograph of earth from orb 08 23
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1966 60 years ago Historical Events August 23 2 sources

Lunar Orbiter 1 takes the first photograph of Earth from orbit around the Moon.

On August 23, in the year 1966, Lunar Orbiter 1 takes the first photograph of Earth from orbit around the Moon. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of August 23, one of 444 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The 1966 Lunar Orbiter 1 robotic spacecraft mission, part of NASA's Lunar Orbiter program, was the first American spacecraft to orbit the Moon. It was designed primarily to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface for selection and verification of safe landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo missions. It was also equipped to collect selenodetic, radiation intensity, and micrometeoroid impact data.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on August 23, 1966 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 4 April 2025.

On This Date in History 444

Type Year Date Event
Historical Events 2023 Aug 23 Chandrayaan-3 mission initiated first Moon landing in Indian history.
Historical Events 2023 Aug 23 A business jet carrying key leadership members of the Russian private military company Wagner Group crashes, killing…
Notable Deaths 2023 Aug 23 Dmitry Utkin, Russian army officer, founder of Wagner Group (born 1970)
Notable Deaths 2023 Aug 23 Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian businessman, chief of Wagner Group (born 1961)
Notable Deaths 2023 Aug 23 Terry Funk, American professional wrestler (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2021 Aug 23 Elizabeth Blackadder, Scottish painter and printmaker (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 23 Augusta Chiwy, Congolese-Belgian nurse (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 23 Guy Ligier, French rugby player and race car driver (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 23 Enrique Reneau, Honduran footballer (born 1971)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 23 Paul Royle, Australian lieutenant and pilot (born 1914)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 23 Albert Ebossé Bodjongo, Cameroonian footballer (born 1989)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 23 Annefleur Kalvenhaar, Dutch cyclist (born 1994)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 23 Birgitta Stenberg, Swedish author and illustrator (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 23 Jaume Vallcorba Plana, Spanish philologist and publisher (born 1949)
Historical Events 2013 Aug 23 A riot at the Palmasola prison complex in Santa Cruz, Bolivia kills 31 people.
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 23 Richard J. Corman, American businessman, founded the R.J. Corman Railroad Group (born 1955)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 23 William Glasser, American psychiatrist and author (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 23 Charles Lisanby, American production designer and set director (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 23 Konstanty Miodowicz, Polish ethnographer and politician (born 1951)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 23 Vesna Rožič, Slovenian chess player (born 1987)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 23 Tatyana Zaslavskaya, Russian sociologist and economist (born 1927)
Historical Events 2012 Aug 23 A hot-air balloon crashes near the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, killing six people and injuring 28 others.
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 23 Jerry Nelson, American puppeteer and voice actor (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 23 Josepha Sherman, American anthologist and author (born 1946)
Historical Events 2011 Aug 23 A magnitude 5.8 (class: moderate) earthquake occurs in Virginia. Damage occurs to monuments and structures in…
Historical Events 2011 Aug 23 Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is overthrown after the National Transitional Council forces take control of Bab…
Selected Events 2011 Aug 23 A 5.8 MW earthquake struck the Piedmont region of Virginia, and was felt by more people than any other quake in U.S.…
Historical Events 2010 Aug 23 The Manila hostage crisis occurred near the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Philippines killing 9 people including the…
Notable Deaths 2008 Aug 23 John Russell, English-American author and critic (born 1919)
Historical Events 2007 Aug 23 The skeletal remains of Russia's last royal family members Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia, and his sister…
Historical Events 2006 Aug 23 Natascha Kampusch, who had been abducted at the age of ten, escapes from her captor Wolfgang Přiklopil, after eight…
Notable Deaths 2006 Aug 23 Maynard Ferguson, Canadian trumpet player and bandleader (born 1928)
Selected Events 2006 Aug 23 Natascha Kampusch (pictured), who had been abducted at the age of ten in Vienna, escaped from her captor's house in…
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 23 Brock Peters, American actor (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2003 Aug 23 Bobby Bonds, American baseball player and manager (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2003 Aug 23 Jack Dyer, Australian footballer and coach (born 1913)
Notable Deaths 2003 Aug 23 Jan Sedivka, Czech-Australian violinist and educator (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2003 Aug 23 Michael Kijana Wamalwa, Kenyan lawyer and politician, 8th Vice President of Kenya (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2002 Aug 23 Hoyt Wilhelm, American baseball player and coach (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2001 Aug 23 Kathleen Freeman, American actress (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2001 Aug 23 Peter Maas, American journalist and author (born 1929)
Historical Events 2000 Aug 23 Gulf Air Flight 072 crashes into the Persian Gulf near Manama, Bahrain, killing 143.
Notable Births 2000 Aug 23 Boryana Kaleyn, Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast and Olympic silver medalist
Notable Deaths 2000 Aug 23 John Anthony Kaiser, American priest and missionary (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 1999 Aug 23 Norman Wexler, American screenwriter (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 1999 Aug 23 James White, Irish author (born 1928)
Notable Births 1998 Aug 23 P. J. Washington, American basketball player
Notable Births 1997 Aug 23 Lil Yachty, American rapper and singer
Notable Deaths 1997 Aug 23 Eric Gairy, Grenadian educator and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Grenada (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 1997 Aug 23 John Kendrew, English biochemist and crystallographer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1917)

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

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