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October 7
5 moments across history
War in Afghanistan Begins
On October 7, 2001, the United States and allied forces began military operations in Afghanistan against al-Qaeda and the Taliban government that sheltered it. Launched in response to the September 11 attacks, the intervention quickly toppled the Taliban regime but developed into a prolonged war and insurgency. The conflict became a central part of the wider U.S.-led “war on terror” and ended with the withdrawal of foreign forces and the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
War in Afghanistan Begins
Fox News Channel Launches
Fox News Channel Launches
Year: 1996
On October 7, 1996, Fox News Channel began broadcasting in the United States, created by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and led by Roger Ailes. Its launch added a major competitor to CNN and MSNBC and eventually made Fox News a powerful force in American television news and political coverage. The network emerged amid the expansion of cable television, 24-hour news, and increasingly ideologically divided media during the 1990s.
Achille Lauro Hijacking
Achille Lauro Hijacking
Year: 1985
On October 7, 1985, Palestine Liberation Front militants hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean and took its passengers and crew hostage. They killed Leon Klinghoffer, a Jewish American passenger, and the crisis led to an international dispute after U.S. forces intercepted the hijackers following their release of the ship. The attack occurred amid the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict and drew global attention to Palestinian militant violence, maritime security, and international counterterrorism.
Luna 3 Photographs the Moon’s Far Side
Luna 3 Photographs the Moon’s Far Side
Year: 1959
On October 7, 1959, the Soviet spacecraft Luna 3 captured the first photographs of the Moon’s far side, which never faces Earth. The images revealed previously unseen terrain and enabled scientists to begin mapping this largely unknown lunar hemisphere. The achievement was a major milestone in lunar exploration and demonstrated the Soviet Union’s early lead in the Cold War space race.
East Germany Established
East Germany Established
Year: 1949
On October 7, 1949, the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was proclaimed in the Soviet occupation zone of postwar Germany. Its creation formalized Germany’s division into an eastern socialist state and the western Federal Republic of Germany, founded months earlier. The division reflected mounting Cold War tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies and lasted until German reunification in 1990.