Apollo 7 (October 11–22, 1968) was the first crewed flight in NASA's Apollo program. It was commanded by Wally Schirra, with command module pilot Donn F. Eisele and lunar module pilot R. Walter Cunningham, and saw the resumption of human spaceflight by the agency after the fire that killed the three Apollo 1 astronauts in January 1967. Determined to prevent a repetition of the fire, the crew spent long periods of time monitoring the construction of their Apollo command and service module (CSM). After liftoff on October 11, 1968, extensive testing of the CSM took place, along with testing of techniques to be used on lunar missions, and also the first live television broadcast from an American spacecraft. Despite tension between the crew and ground controllers, the mission was a complete technical success, giving NASA the confidence to send Apollo 8 into orbit around the Moon two months later, but in part because of those tensions, no member of the crew flew in space again.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_7

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1866:

The United States Congress authorized the minting of the Shield nickel (example pictured), the country's first five-cent piece to be made of a copper–nickel alloy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield_nickel

1943:

Second World War: The Royal Air Force's "Dambusters" squadron embarked on an attack on German dams using bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncing_bomb

1961:

Led by Park Chung-hee, the Military Revolution Committee carried out a bloodless coup against the government of Yun Posun in Seoul, ending the Second Republic of Korea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_16_coup

1975:

Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junko_Tabei

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

bright: 1. Emitting much light; visually dazzling; luminous, lucent, radiant. 2. Of light: brilliant, intense. 3. Of an object, surface, etc.: reflecting much light; having a high lustre; gleaming, shiny. 4. Of a place: not dark; well-lit. 5. Of climate or weather: not cloudy or gloomy; fair; also, of a period of time, the sky, etc.: characterized by much sunshine and good weather. 6. (figuratively) 7. Of a colour: not muted or pale; bold, brilliant, vivid. 8. Of an object, surface, etc.: having vivid colour(s); colourful. 9. Of a musical instrument, sound, or a voice: clearly audible; clear, resounding, and often high-pitched. 10. Of a room or other place: having acoustic qualities that tend to cause much echoing or reverberation of sound, particularly at high frequencies. 11. Of a scent or taste: not bland or mild; bold, sharp, strong. 12. Of a substance: clear, transparent; also, pure, unadulterated; (specifically) of wine: free of suspended particles; not cloudy; fine. 13. Glorious; illustrious. 14. In good spirits; happy, optimistic. 15. Of the face or eyes, or a smile: showing happiness or hopefulness; cheerful, lively. 16. Of a person: lively, vivacious. 17. Of a period of history or time: happy, prosperous, successful. 18. Of an opportunity or outlook: having a reasonable chance of success; favourable, good. 19. Of conversation, writing, etc.: imaginative or sparkling with wit; clever, witty. 20. Having a clear, quick intellect; intelligent. 21. (archaic) 22. Of the eyes: able to see clearly; of eyesight: keen, sharp. 23. Manifest to the mind as light is to the eyes; clear, evident, plain. 24. (music) Of a rhythm or tempo: lively, upbeat. 25. (metallurgy) Of a metal object or surface: lacking any protective coating or surface treatment for the prevention of corrosion. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bright

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Remember always that the cause of the United States is the cause of human nature.   --William H. Seward https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_H._Seward