This Day In History : June 10

1973 United States

NASA launches Radio Astronomy Explorer 49 into lunar orbit

Explorer 49, also known as Radio Astronomy Explorer-2 (RAE-B), was a NASA satellite launched on June 10, 1973. Its mission was to conduct long-wave radio astronomy research.

Also on This Day in History June 10

Discover what happened on June 10 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, June 10
  • 1832 Nicolaus Otto

    German automobile designer who invented an effective gas motor engine and the first practical four-stroke internal combustion engine, called the Otto Cycle Engine

  • 1706 John Dollond

    English optician and inventor who was granted the first patent for an achromatic lens

  • 1865 Frederick Cook

    American explorer, claimed to have 1st discovered North Pole

  • 1908 Brinsley Ford

    British art historian and CEO (National Art Collections Fund)

  • 1927 Eugene Parker

    American solar astrophysicist (Parker Space Probe named after him)

Deaths on This Day, June 10
  • 1896 Amelia Dyer

    English murderer of 300 infants, hanged at Newgate Prison

  • 1994 Mary Maxwell Gates

    American businesswoman, philanthropist and mother of Bill Gates

  • 2011 Jeanne Bice

    American entrepreneur (Quacker Factory clothes)

  • 2016 Margaret Heldt

    American hairdresser who created the beehive hairstyle

  • 1940 Marcus Garvey

    Jamaican-born black nationalist who began the back-to-Africa movement among US African Americans

1935

Dr. Robert Smith and William Wilson founded Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson  and Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith. These two individuals, both of whom had struggled with alcoholism themselves, came together in Akron, Ohio, to create a global fellowship that has since grown to be worldwide.
1752

Franklin's Kite Experiment

Benjamin Franklin tests the lightning conductor with his kite-flying experiment
1977

The Apple II, one of the first successful personal computers, is released by Apple Computer

The Apple II series of microcomputers, initially designed by Steve Wozniak and manufactured by Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.), was launched in June 1977 with the release of the original Apple II model.
1963

US Equal Pay Act signed into law by President John F. Kennedy

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy on June 10, 1963. This landmark legislation amended the Fair Labor Standards Act and aimed to abolish wage disparity based on gender, addressing the gender pay gap.
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