Today in 1957, the Soviet Union launched the satellite Sputnik 2, with a dog, Laika, inside. Laika would become the first animal sent into Earth orbit to study the effects of spaceflight on living creatures. Laika would die shortly after the satellite launched.
Also today in 1986, the famous Iran-Contra scandal was exposed by a Lebanese newspaper. In essence, the United States was found to be supplying weapons to embargoed Iran in an attempt to boost relations between the two nations. Eleven members of the United States government were convicted of crimes in this scandal.
