The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, killing all seven crew members aboard. Challenger disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:39 a.m. EST (16:39 UTC), 73 seconds into its flight. The disaster was caused by the failure of the two O-ring seals in a joint in the Space Shuttle's right solid rocket booster in record-low temperatures. Several crew members are known to have survived the initial breakup of the spacecraft, but the impact of the crew compartment at terminal velocity with the ocean surface was too violent to be survivable, and the orbiter had no escape system. President Ronald Reagan created the Rogers Commission to investigate the accident; it criticized NASA's organizational culture and decision-making processes that had contributed to the accident. There was a 32-month hiatus in the Space Shuttle program. To replace Challenger, the construction of Endeavour was approved in 1987, and the new orbiter first flew in 1992.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1547:

Nine-year-old Edward VI, the first English monarch to be raised as a Protestant, became king. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VI

1813:

English author Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice was published, using material from an unpublished manuscript originally written between 1796 and 1797. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_and_Prejudice

1922:

The largest recorded snowstorm in the history of Washington, D.C., collapsed the Knickerbocker Theatre (damage pictured), killing 98 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickerbocker_Theatre_%28Washington,_D.C.%29

1984:

Tropical Storm Domoina made landfall in southern Mozambique, causing some of the most severe flooding recorded in the region. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Domoina

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

caliginous: (archaic or literary) Dark, obscure; murky. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/caliginous

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Peace demands of Nature the recognition of human rights; discrimination is contrary to Nature and to the enemy of peace.   --José Martí https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mart%C3%AD