#ThrowbackThursday – 20 February
It’s 20 February, and that means it’s time for another edition of Throwback Thursday! Today, we’re taking a look back at three prominent events that went down on this day in history:
1962 – From Earth to Orbit
Seven years before humans managed to land on the surface of the Moon, US astronaut John Glenn made history by becoming the first American to orbit Earth.
A year earlier, in April 1961, the Soviet Union (USSR) had gained one crucial step ahead in the Cold War against their American rivals by launching cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into space, the first time that a man (specifically, a Russian man) had done so.
With this accomplishment in the books, there was no doubt that the USSR was now looking to dominate the “space race” entirely.
In response, America upped the ante by sending Glenn – an experienced military pilot who became one of the nation’s first astronauts for NASA – into orbit on 20 February 1962 aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft.
This marked a pivotal moment in the space race, as Glenn completed three orbits around Earth in under five hours, demonstrating not only ingenuity and resilience, but also a renewed commitment to space exploration.
Of course, the mission was fraught with challenges, including concerns over the spacecraft’s heat shield and the risk of a potential crash landing. Despite these issues, Glenn’s successful flight was celebrated as a monumental achievement for NASA and the United States.
1967 – Happy Birthday, Kurt Cobain!
Today marks what would have been the 58th birthday of Kurt Cobain, the frontman and guitarist of the iconic grunge band Nirvana.
Born on 20 February 1967 in Aberdeen, Washington, Cobain experienced a tumultuous childhood after his parents’ divorce, fueling his emotional struggles which would influence his music.
In the mid-1980s, he formed Nirvana with bassist Krist Novoselic, later adding drummer Dave Grohl. Their 1991 album, “Nevermind”, featuring the hit song “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, propelled them to global fame. It also established Cobain as the voice of his generation, something he found uncomfortable.
Although Nirvana was a great success, Cobain battled depression and substance abuse, which culminated in his tragic death on 5 April 1994 at the age of 27. As a result, his passing marked a poignant moment in music history and signaled the decline of the grunge movement.
Today, Cobain’s legacy continues to resonate with many generations of fans around the world. Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, further solidifying his status as a cultural icon and music legend.
2012 – A 32 000-Year-Old Botanical Breakthrough
For the first time, on 20 February 2012, scientists managed to successfully regenerate a plant from seeds that were over 32 000-years-old!
The seeds, from the flowering plant Silene stenophylla, were discovered in Siberia. Unearthed by a Russian team near the Kolyma River, the seeds were buried by an Ice Age squirrel and encased in ice 38 metres below the permafrost. Although some mature seeds were damaged, several immature seeds retained viable material, which the team germinated.
By regenerating the plant, the team surpassed the previous record-holder – a 2 000-year-old date palm – by 30 000 years.
Elaine Solowey, a botanist at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Israel, emphasised the importance of understanding the conditions that kept the seeds viable for millennia.
“Certainly some of the plants that were cultivated in ancient times and have gone extinct, or other plants once important to ecosystems which have disappeared, would be very useful today if they could be brought back,” Solowey told “National Geographic”.
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