#OnThisDay Nov. 13-19, 2020

Nov. 12, 2020 – Discovery Park of America is filled with artifacts, replicas, history, science, art and more. Our mission is to inspire children and adults to see beyond, and we do so by sharing educational content online and throughout our museum.

We share weekly updates on anniversaries and significant moments in history, and where you can find items related to these dates through our museum and heritage park.

STEM Landing

  • Nov. 13, 1980 (40th anniversary) – The United States Spacecraft Voyager 1 sent back the first close up picture of Saturn.
  • Nov. 14, 1965 (55th anniversary)U.S. Bell UH-1B “Huey” Helicopters, like the one on display at STEM Landing, delivered lead units to Landing Zone X-Ray in South Vietnam’s Ia Drang Valley. The North Vietnamese Army attacked, triggering the first major battle between U.S. and North Vietnamese armies during the Vietnam War.
  • Nov. 14, 1969 (51st anniversary) – Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the surface of the moon, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. President Richard Nixon viewed the liftoff from Pad A at Cape Canaveral making him the first president to attend the liftoff of a manned space flight.

Freedom Square: Liberty Hall

  • Nov. 15, 1777 (243rd anniversary) – The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, on Nov. 15, 1777.

Science, Space and Technology Gallery

  • Nov. 16, 2011 (9th anniversary)The Gutenberg Press on display in the technology showcase is a full scale, fully functional reproduction. It was built by Pratt Wagon and Press Works, of Cove Fort, Utah, and delivered to Discovery Park on Nov. 16, 2011, almost two full years before the park opened to the public.

Train Depot

  • Nov. 18, 1883 (137th anniversary) – At exactly noon on this day, American and Canadian railroads created the first time zones. They began using four continental time zones to end the confusion of dealing with thousands of local times.

Freedom Square: Walk of Heroes

  • Nov. 19, 1863 (157th anniversary)President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the National Cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg.

National/International Holidays

  • Nov. 15, 2020 – National Recycling Day