ON THIS DAY
On this day in history October 8-14
October 8, 2017 - October 14, 2017 - Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.This week features the Solidarity trade union in Poland, the rights to education for girls campaigner Malala Yousafzai, the first woman to command the International Space Station, the Jodrell Bank radio telescope, the White House, Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, and Captain Chuck Yeager - the first man to break the sound barrier
October 8, 1982: The Polish government dissolved the Solidarity trade union, formally banning Eastern Europe’s first experiment in trade union democracy
October 9, 2012: Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, 15, was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman for campaigning for the rights to education for girls
October 10, 2007: U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson became the first woman to command the International Space Station. She has recently returned from a second command mission
October 11, 1957: Britain’s Jodrell Bank radio telescope, then the largest in the world, went into operation, just in time to track Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite
October 12, 1901: The U.S. presidential residence was renamed the White House, a name in common use since the early 19th century, replacing its earlier title of Executive Mansion
October 13, 2016: Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, died at the age of 88 after 70 years as head of state
October 14, 1947: U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager became the first man to break the sound barrier, reaching Mach 1 in the experimental rocket-powered Bell X-1 aircraft
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