October 04

1883 - The Orient Express, a transcontinental railroad on Earth, begins service between Paris and Istanbul.
1957 – Launch of Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.
1959 - The Russian satellite Luna 3 is launched, orbiting the Moon and photographing 70 percent of the Moon's far side.
2004 – SpaceShipOne wins Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight. By being the first private craft to fly into space.
2004 - Death of American astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr., one of the first astronauts and the first American to sleep in orbit.