◆ On this day

October 7

4 sourced moments from October 7 in history: The Battle of Lepanto broke the myth of Ottoman invincibility (1571); The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was founded (1949); Luna 3 took the first photos of the Moon's far side in 1959, plus 1 more.

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4 things happened on October 7

newest first ↓

2020 Human Body & Mind · Genetics

CRISPR gene editing came from a bacterial immune system

CRISPR began as a defence bacteria use against viruses, took 25 years to understand, and became the first approved gene-editing medicine in 2023.

1959 Space · Space Exploration

Luna 3 took the first photos of the Moon's far side in 1959

The Soviet probe looked back at a sunlit far side on October 7, 1959; no spacecraft landed there for another 59 years.

1949 History · Modern

The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was founded

On a single October day in 1949, a divided Germany gained a second state, and the Cold War's deepest fault line hardened into a nation.

1571 History · War & Conflict

The Battle of Lepanto broke the myth of Ottoman invincibility

In the last great clash of oar-driven galleys, a fragile Christian coalition out-rowed and out-fought the Ottoman fleet off Greece.