![[e]Photo Stream](/logo.png){kind=logo}
October 18
5 moments across history
First All-Woman Spacewalk
On October 18, 2019, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir conducted the first spacewalk performed entirely by women, working outside the International Space Station. The achievement marked a milestone for women’s participation in human spaceflight and reflected their expanding roles in technically demanding missions. It came 35 years after Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to spacewalk, and after decades in which women had spacewalked only alongside men.
First All-Woman Spacewalk
Erich Honecker Resigns as East German Leader
Erich Honecker Resigns as East German Leader
Year: 1989
On October 18, 1989, East German leader Erich Honecker resigned amid growing public protests and pressure within the ruling Socialist Unity Party. He was succeeded by Egon Krenz, but the leadership change failed to halt demands for political reform and freedom of movement. The resignation marked a major stage in East Germany’s collapse during the revolutions of 1989, weeks before the Berlin Wall fell and a year before German reunification.
Venera 4 Reaches Venus
Venera 4 Reaches Venus
Year: 1967
On October 18, 1967, the Soviet Venera 4 probe entered Venus’s atmosphere and transmitted data during its descent. It provided the first direct measurements from another planet’s atmosphere, revealing that Venus was extremely hot and rich in carbon dioxide. The mission was a major achievement in the Cold War space race and helped establish the Soviet Venera program as a pioneer of planetary exploration.
British Broadcasting Company Founded
British Broadcasting Company Founded
Year: 1922
On October 18, 1922, a consortium of British wireless manufacturers founded the British Broadcasting Company to provide nationwide radio programming. It established the foundation for the BBC, which became the publicly chartered British Broadcasting Corporation in 1927 and a major model for public-service broadcasting. Its creation reflected radio’s rapid post–First World War growth and the British government’s effort to organize broadcasting and regulate the limited airwaves.
United States Assumes Control of Puerto Rico
United States Assumes Control of Puerto Rico
Year: 1898
On October 18, 1898, Spanish authorities formally relinquished Puerto Rico, and the United States assumed control of the island after the Spanish-American War. The transfer ended more than four centuries of Spanish colonial rule and began a period of U.S. governance that shaped Puerto Rico’s political status. It occurred amid Spain’s loss of its remaining major overseas colonies and the United States’ emergence as an imperial power; the Treaty of Paris formalized the cession that December.