This Day In History : February 6

2018 United States

SpaceX Launches World's Most Powerful Rocket

On February 6, 2018, SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, successfully launched the Falcon Heavy, the world's most powerful rocket. This groundbreaking launch showcased the rocket's ability to carry heavy payloads into space, marking a major achievement in space exploration.

Also on This Day in History February 6

Discover what happened on February 6 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, February 6
  • 1802 Charles Wheatstone

    English physicist who popularized the Wheatstone bridge, a device that accurately measured electrical resistance and became widely used in laboratories.

  • 1834 Edwin Klebs

    He was a German physician and bacteriologist who was noted for his work on the bacterial theory of infection.

  • 1927 Gerard Kitchen O'Neill

    Gerard Kitchen O'Neill was an American physicist and space activist. he invented a device called the particle storage ring for high-energy physics experiments.

  • 1872 Robert Maillart

    Swiss bridge engineer whose radical use of reinforced concrete revolutionized masonry arch bridge design.

  • 1892 William P. Murphy

    American physician who with George R. Minot in 1926 reported success in the treatment of pernicious anemia with a liver diet.

Deaths on This Day, February 6
  • 1894 Theodor Billroth

    He was a German surgeon, generally considered to be the founder of modern abdominal surgery.

  • 1804 Joseph Priestley

    English chemist, clergyman and political theorist who discovered the element oxygen.

  • 2002 Max Ferdinand Perutz

    Austrian-British biochemist who shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his X-ray diffraction analysis of the structure of hemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen from the lungs to the tissues via blood cells.

  • 1898 Rudolf Leuckart

    Rudolf (Karl Georg Friedrich) Leuckart was a German zoologist and teacher who initiated the modern science of parasitology.

  • 1833 Pierre-André Latreille

    French zoologist and clergyman (ordained a Roman catholic priest in 1786) who became the father of modern entomology.

1971

Golf on the moon

In 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard took a few shots at some golf balls while on the moon.
1957

Cryotron

In 1957, the cryotron, a superconductive computer switch was announced in a press release by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
1886

Germanium

In 1886, German chemist, Clemens Winkler discovered the element germanium. He had a background in managing a cobalt glassworks and then on the faculty of the Freiberg School of Mining, when he discovered germanium in the mineral argyrodite.
1952

Elizabeth II Becomes Queen of the United Kingdom

On February 6, 1952, Elizabeth II ascended to the throne following the death of her father, King George VI. Her reign marked the beginning of a new era for the British monarchy.
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