UPCOMING IMPORTANT CALENDAR DATES

Attention Docents, Teachers, Educators: As you know, I keep track of the anniversary dates for milestone events in aviation and Space exploration, along with dates for notable events and people, to help engage learner interest with familiar connections. It can be worthwhile to look ahead to see keys dates in 2025 that you may wish to use, or avoid, when planning educational programs, class activities, or other outreach interactions. Having info you don’t need is better than needing info you don’t have!

2026 ANNIVERSARY-RELATED PROGRAMMING OPPORTUNITIES! Round-number anniversaries/birthdays, etc. for 2026 can be found in the Archive: Other Stuff section of the website. Such dates likely attract media and other attention, and can be used in aviation, astronomy, and Space exploration programming to engage audiences.

Upcoming Round-Number Calendar Anniversaries

May 5 is the 65th anniversary of the first crewed Mercury flight, a sub-orbital hop that made Alan Shepard the “First American in Space.” We were perceived to be well behind the Russians in such endeavors, but Shepard’s flight led directly to JFK’s pledge to send a man to the Moon before the decade was out, and return him safely to the Earth (May 25).

May 26 would have been the 75th birthday of first American Woman in Space, Sally Ride.

May 30 is the anniversary of two other important launches of important robotic explorers: Surveyor 1, which would make the first successful soft-landing on the Moon (1966), and Mariner 9 (1971), which would revolutionize our understanding of Mars.

Looking ahead to June: the 60th anniversary of the crash of one of the only two XB-70 bombers built is on June 8, and the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Army Air Force, precursor to the U.S. Air Force, is on June 20.