1961 – Alan Shepard Jr. became the first American in space by making a sub-orbital flight on May 5, 1961. Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 3, Shepard’s 15 minute and 28 second flight of the Freedom 7 capsule demonstrated the ability to withstand the high g-forces of launch and atmospheric re-entry. Shepard later went on to fly in the Apollo program and became the only Mercury astronaut to walk on the Moon on Apollo 14.
1973 – Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.4, an as-yet-unbeaten record.
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