Inventions, firsts, and turning points tied to today’s date — each one sourced and dated.
On April 12, 1981—exactly 20 years after Gagarin—Columbia became the first reusable spacecraft to fly, carrying two astronauts to orbit.
On April 12, 1961, a 27-year-old Soviet pilot circled the planet once in 108 minutes and returned a global hero.
On April 12, 1955, a single announcement in Michigan ended years of dread—Jonas Salk's polio vaccine worked.
