August 30 sits between a 17th-century Mughal succession struggle and a Cold War-era communications breakthrough, with a NASA shuttle flight that carried an Indian satellite into orbit along the way.
On this day
1963The Moscow-Washington hotline, a direct teletype link between the US and Soviet governments, went into operation less than a year after the Cuban Missile Crisis exposed how dangerously slow diplomatic communication could be.Archives New Zealand from New Zealand via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
1983Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off on STS-8, the first night launch in shuttle program history, carrying Guion Bluford, who became the first African American in space, and deploying India's INSAT-1B satellite.NASA via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
1659IndiaDara Shikoh, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's eldest son and chosen heir, was executed on the orders of his younger brother Aurangzeb after losing the war of succession, ending his claim to the throne.1628 artist via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Did you know
The same 1983 shuttle flight that made Guion Bluford the first African American in space also deployed India's INSAT-1B communications and weather satellite as its primary payload.