From the Kagoshima Space Center on the east coast of Japan's Ohsumi Peninsula, Ohsumi, Japan's first satellite, is successfully launched into an orbit around Earth. The achievement made Japan the world's fourth space power, after the Soviet Union in 1957, the United States in 1958, and France in 1965.
Two months after Japan's launching of Ohsumi, China became the world's fifth space power when it successfully launched Mao 1 into space. The satellite, named after Mao Zedong, the leader of communist China, orbited Earth broadcasting the Chinese patriotic song The East Is Red once a minute.
Also on This Day
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- American Revolution
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- Civil War
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- Cold War
- Burgess and Maclean resurface, 1956
- Crime
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- General Interest
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- Hollywood
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- Presidential
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- World War I
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- World War II
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Feb 11, 1970:
The world's fourth space power
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This Week in History, Feb 11 - Feb 17
- Feb 11, 1858
- Virgin Mary appears to St. Bernadette
- Feb 11, 1945
- Yalta Conference ends
- Feb 11, 1970
- The world's fourth space power
- Feb 12, 1793
- Congress enacts first fugitive slave law
- Feb 12, 1865
- Garnet preaches to House on slavery and Civil War
- Feb 12, 1912
- Last emperor of China abdicates
- Feb 12, 1986
- Scharansky released
- Feb 12, 1999
- President Clinton acquitted
- Feb 13, 1689
- William and Mary proclaimed joint sovereigns of Britain
- Feb 13, 1861
- First Medal of Honor action
- Feb 13, 1945
- Dresden devastated
- Feb 14, 1779
- Captain Cook killed in Hawaii
- Feb 14, 1929
- Valentine's Day Massacre takes place
- Feb 14, 1929
- Penicillin discovered
- Feb 15, 1942
- Japan celebrates major victory in the Pacific
- Feb 15, 1965
- Canada adopts maple leaf flag
- Feb 16, 1804
- The most daring act of the age
- Feb 16, 1959
- Castro sworn in
- Feb 17, 1801
- Deadlock over presidential election ends
- Feb 17, 1957
- Gromyko becomes foreign minister
- Feb 17, 1979
- China invades Vietnam
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