July 20 Through History

Explanation: Apollo 11 carried Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon on July 21, while Collins remained in orbit aboard the command module Columbia. Armstrong spoke the famous words: 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.'

Explanation: The 1954 Geneva Accords divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel, provisionally creating a communist North Vietnam and a South Vietnam. This partition, meant to be temporary pending elections, was never peacefully overcome and led to the Vietnam War.

Explanation: Gregor Mendel, a Czech Augustinian monk, conducted his famous experiments on peas in the garden of his monastery in Brno. His laws of heredity, published in 1866, were ignored during his lifetime and rediscovered in 1900, propelling him to the status of father of modern genetics.

Explanation: Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg had placed a bomb in the meeting room of Hitler's headquarters in Rastenburg. Hitler survived because a briefcase was moved behind a thick table leg. More than 4,700 people were executed in retaliation, including Rommel, who was forced to commit suicide.

Explanation: The Dreyfus Affair had torn France apart since 1894. After his reinstatement at the rank of captain, Dreyfus was also awarded the Legion of Honor. He then took part in World War I as a lieutenant colonel and died in 1935. The affair had led to the law separating Church and State in 1905.

Explanation: Viking 1 landed on Mars on July 20, 1976, in the Chryse Planitia region. It operated for more than six years, well beyond its planned 90-day mission. Its twin Viking 2 landed shortly after. Both missions searched for traces of Martian life, without conclusive results.

Explanation: Alberto Santos-Dumont is a legendary figure in Brazil, where he is considered the true inventor of the airplane. In Europe, he is best known for his airship flight around the Eiffel Tower in 1901. He is also the inventor of the wristwatch, created at the request of his friend Louis Cartier so he could read the time while piloting.

Explanation: In 2005, Canada became the 4th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, after the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain. The Canadian law applies to the entire national territory, unified under the government of Paul Martin, while some American states didn't legalize it until a decade later.

Explanation: The Union of Kalmar was orchestrated by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, who in fact ruled over all three kingdoms even though Eric of Pomerania was crowned king. This union lasted until 1523, when Sweden, under Gustav Vasa, seceded. Kalmar is a city located in the south of present-day Sweden.

Explanation: The New Shepard rocket takes its name from Alan Shepard, the first American in space in 1961. This flight on July 20, 2021 also carried Wally Funk, an 82-year-old aviator who became the oldest person to go to space. The date was chosen symbolically to coincide with the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.