On this day · archive
The satellite that held its place in the sky
Syncom 3 launched on August 19, 1964, and became the first geostationary communications satellite. Its fixed place above Earth gave live broadcasting a new reach across the Pacific.
8
events in todayish file
1964
Syncom 3 launches toward a fixed place above Earth.
The first geostationary communications satellite turned orbital precision into a dependable relay for signals across continents and oceans.
Most satellites appear to move across the sky. Syncom 3 reached an orbit that matched Earth’s rotation, allowing it to remain over the same region and serve as a reliable communications link.
That orbital arrangement joined difficult engineering to an immediately legible result. A signal sent upward could return far beyond the horizon without waiting for the satellite to circle back into view.
Two months after launch, Syncom 3 helped carry live coverage of the Tokyo Olympics across the Pacific. On August 19, the infrastructure of a more connected world began taking its place above it.
The full record
8 entries from the day’s archive, filed year by year with a note on what each one leaves behind.
Tens of thousands of farmed Atlantic salmon escape into Washington waters after the Cypress Island pen break.
The release put a non-native farmed species into the Salish Sea and sharpened scrutiny of aquaculture safeguards.
Environment
The Dhamara Ghat train accident kills at least 37 people in Bihar, India.
The deaths brought mourning and renewed attention to safety around crowded railway stations.
Disaster
Coordinated bombings across Baghdad kill 101 people and injure 565.
The attacks struck government and civilian sites during a period of continuing instability in Iraq.
Violence
Russia and China begin their first joint military exercise, Peace Mission 2005.
The exercise displayed growing military cooperation between the two countries.
Military
A truck bomb at United Nations headquarters in Iraq kills Sérgio Vieira de Mello and 21 other employees.
The attack devastated the UN mission and its staff in Baghdad.
Violence
Silvio Santos launches the Brazilian television network Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão in São Paulo.
SBT became a major presence in Brazilian broadcasting and popular culture.
Media
Syncom 3, the first geostationary communications satellite, is launched.
Its fixed position relative to Earth later enabled live television coverage across the Pacific.
Space
The Soviet Union launches Korabl-Sputnik 2 carrying the dogs Belka and Strelka, other animals, and plants.
The living passengers returned from orbit, an important step in the Soviet human-spaceflight program.
Space