Representational image. SpaceX
Like every other day in the calendar, today- 6 February- has witnessed countless major incidents over the years. Among them, some certainly deserve a significant place in history. On 6 February 1952, Elizabeth II became the Queen of England, succeeding her father King George V. On the same day in 1958, the Munich Air Disaster took the lives of eight Manchester United players. Sir Bobby Charlton, who was accompanying the side, was evacuated safely by goalkeeper Harry Gregg. On 6 February 1993, legendary Tennis player Arthur Ashe breathed his last after suffering from AIDS-related pneumonia. In another historic event, Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched their triple-barreled Falcon Heavy rocket, carrying a red Tesla Roadster sports car into space for the first time on 6 February 2018.
6 February- Historic Events:
Accession of Queen Elizabeth II; 1952:
Elizabeth II succeeded her father King George V upon his passing in 1952 and became the Queen of England on 6 February. Her domains’ size did shrink throughout time as more nations attained freedom, while some also turned into republics. She remains both the longest-serving female head of state and the monarch of the United Kingdom. On 8 September 2022, Elizabeth II passed away at her Scottish estate at the age of 96. Following ten days of national remembrance of her life and achievements, Prince Charles became the King as Charles III.
Munich Air Disaster; 1958:
After a 3-3 draw with Red Star in Belgrade gave Manchester United a spot in the 1957-58 European Cup semifinals, the team members, as well as journalists and others, boarded a flight to travel first to Munich and then to back home for a weekend fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers. By the time they arrived in Germany, winter had gripped much of Europe, and the weather was terrible.
After two failed attempts due to near-blizzard conditions, their aircraft attempted a third takeoff at Munich-Riem Airport but it drifted off the runway and immediately caught fire. Bobby Charlton and Dennis Viollet were both carried to safety by United keeper Harry Gregg in an extraordinary display of bravery. As a consequence of the Munich air disaster which is considered one of the darkest days in the club’s history, 23 individuals lost their lives, including eight footballers.
Tennis legend Arthur Ashe breathed his last; 1993:
Tennis icon Arthur Ashe, who spent his career fighting discrimination and then devoted his final year to raising awareness of AIDS, passed away on 6 February 1993 from AIDS-related pneumonia at the age of 49. He was the only black man to win three major Tennis tournaments- Wimbledon, the US Open and Australian Open.
Ashe was reported to have acquired the AIDS-causing virus- HIV- from a blood transfusion during his second round of heart bypass surgery in 1983. He discovered he had the illness in September 1988, after being admitted to New York Hospital for emergency brain surgery. His right arm, which served up 26 aces the day he won the 1968 United States Open, became paralyzed. The surgery and subsequent biopsy identified toxoplasmosis, a parasite infection connected to AIDS, as the condition.
Test launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket; 2018:
On 6 February 2018, SpaceX launched their triple-barreled Falcon Heavy rocket into space for the first time, fusing the serious and humorous aspects of space travel. To top it all off, following the launch, two of those three rocket barrels came back to Earth unharmed. The iconic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from where the space shuttle and the Apollo moon rocket previously took off, was the site of the liftoff.
The test launch represented a significant advancement for SpaceX, which could thereafter assert ownership of the most potent operational rocket in existence. However, its payload was as absurd as they come. The only thing onboard was Elon Musk’s red Tesla Roadster sports car.
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