Past In Frames

October 4 in history — On This Day

1957

Sputnik 1 enters Earth orbit

Sputnik 1 entered Earth orbit on October 4, 1957. Its radio signals gave listeners around the world a way to follow the first artificial satellite.

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This Week in History

History

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SEP 26 · 1983

Stanislav Petrov Assesses a False Nuclear Alarm

Crime & Justice

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AI-generated historical recreation.
OCT 10 · 1933

Seven Lives Lost: The Unsolved Mystery of United Air Lines Flight 23

Science

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1995

Mayor and Queloz announce a planet around 51 Pegasi

Medicine & Health

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1846

Ether Day: The Demonstration That Changed Surgery

Nature & Disasters

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Black-footed ferret standing in prairie habitat
SEP 26 · 1981

A Wyoming Discovery Brings the Black-Footed Ferret Back Into View

Exploration

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U.S. Army Douglas World Cruiser aircraft during the 1924 round-the-world flight
SEP 28 · 1924

The First Flight Around the World Returns to Seattle

Film & TV

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1895

The Lumière Cinématographe Is Shown to a Paying Paris Audience

The Story Behind the Photo

Chicago After the Fire: From Burned Blocks to a New Skyline

A photograph taken after the 1871 fire can make Chicago look as though its future had been decided by a wall of flame. A view from around 1905 tells a different story: tall offices, busy transport routes and commercial streets crowded again.

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