1977 big ear a radio telescope at ohio state university receive 08 15
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1977 49 years ago Selected Events August 15 5 sources

Big Ear, a radio telescope at Ohio State University, received a strong, apparently extraterrestrial radio signal that became known as the Wow! signal (printout pictured).

On August 15, in the year 1977, Big Ear, a radio telescope at Ohio State University, received a strong, apparently extraterrestrial radio signal that became known as the Wow! signal (printout pictured). This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of August 15, one of 485 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The Ohio State University Radio Observatory was a Kraus-type radio telescope located on the grounds of the Perkins Observatory at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio from 1963 to 1998. Known as Big Ear, the observatory was part of Ohio State University's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project. The telescope was designed by John D. Kraus. Construction of the Big Ear began in 1956 and was completed in 1961, and it was finally turned on for the first time in 1963.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on August 15, 1977 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 5 Wikipedia articles.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 18 March 2026.

On This Date in History 485

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Historical Events 2015 Aug 15 North Korea moves its clock back half an hour to introduce Pyongyang Time, 81⁄2 hours ahead of UTC.
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 15 Julian Bond, American academic, leader of the civil rights movement, and politician (born 1940)
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Historical Events 2013 Aug 15 At least 27 people are killed and 226 injured in an explosion in southern Beirut near a complex used by Lebanon's…
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Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 15 Rosalía Mera, Spanish businesswoman, co-founded Inditex and Zara (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 15 Sławomir Mrożek, Polish-French author and playwright (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 15 Marich Man Singh Shrestha, Nepali politician, 28th Prime Minister of Nepal (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 15 August Schellenberg, Canadian actor (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 15 Bob Birch, American bass player and saxophonist (born 1956)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 15 Altamiro Carrilho, Brazilian flute player and composer (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 15 Harry Harrison, American author and illustrator (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2011 Aug 15 Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1984)
Notable Deaths 2009 Aug 15 Mary Catherine Lamb, American textile artist (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2008 Aug 15 Vic Toweel, South African-Australian boxer (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2008 Aug 15 Jerry Wexler, American journalist and producer (born 1917)
Historical Events 2007 Aug 15 An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring…
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 15 Richard Bradshaw, English conductor and director (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 15 John Gofman, American biologist, chemist, and physicist (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 15 Geoffrey Orbell, New Zealand physician (born 1908)
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 15 Sam Pollock, Canadian businessman (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2006 Aug 15 Te Atairangikaahu, New Zealand Māori queen (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2006 Aug 15 Rick Bourke, Australian rugby league player (born 1955)
Notable Deaths 2006 Aug 15 Faas Wilkes, Dutch footballer and manager (born 1923)
Historical Events 2005 Aug 15 Israel's unilateral disengagement plan to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the…
Historical Events 2005 Aug 15 The Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia was signed, ending almost three…
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 15 Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana, Indian dermatologist and academic (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2004 Aug 15 Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2004 Aug 15 Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician, 8th Chief Minister of Gujarat (born 1941)
Notable Births 2003 Aug 15 Juanlu Sánchez, Spanish footballer
Notable Deaths 2001 Aug 15 Yavuz Çetin, Turkish singer-songwriter (born 1970)
Notable Deaths 2001 Aug 15 Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (born 1972)
Notable Deaths 2001 Aug 15 Kateryna Yushchenko, Ukrainian computer scientist and academic (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2000 Aug 15 Lancelot Ware, English barrister and biochemist, co-founder of Mensa (born 1915)
Historical Events 1999 Aug 15 Beni Ounif massacre in Algeria: Some 29 people are killed at a false roadblock near the Moroccan border, leading to…
Notable Births 1999 Aug 15 Paola Reis, BMX rider
Notable Deaths 1999 Aug 15 Hugh Casson, English architect and interior designer (born 1910)
Historical Events 1998 Aug 15 Northern Ireland: Omagh bombing takes place; 29 people (including a woman pregnant with twins) killed and some 220…
Historical Events 1998 Aug 15 Apple introduces the iMac computer.
Selected Events 1998 Aug 15 The Troubles: A car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army killed 29 people and injured…
Notable Deaths 1997 Aug 15 Ida Gerhardt, Dutch poet and educator (born 1905)
Historical Events 1995 Aug 15 In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel (she drops out less…

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