Historical eventOctober 241960

Nedelin catastrophe

Nedelin catastrophe: An R-16 ballistic missile explodes on the launch pad at the Soviet Union's Baikonur Cosmodrome space facility, killing over 100 people, including Field Marshal Mitrofan Nedelin.

Everything on October 24Original source

In context

When
Monday, October 24 196066 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1960s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1960.

What happened

Nedelin catastrophe: An R-16 ballistic missile explodes on the launch pad at the Soviet Union's Baikonur Cosmodrome space facility, killing over 100 people, including Field Marshal Mitrofan Nedelin.

October 24 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1960Nedelin catastrophe
  2. 2004Arsenal F.C.
  3. 2005Hurricane Wilma
  4. 2007Chang'e 1
  5. 2008Stock market crash
  6. 2014China National Space Administration
  7. 2015Lam Wing-kee
  8. 20152015 Oklahoma State University homecoming parade attack
  9. 2016Islamic State – Khorasan Province
  10. 20162016 CAE Aviation Fairchild Merlin crash
  11. 2018Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge

Also in 1960

  • August 17Aeroflot Flight 036Aeroflot Flight 036 crashes in Soviet Ukraine, killing 34.
  • June 17Nez PerceThe Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 million acres (28,000 km2) of land undervalued at four cents/acre in the 1863 treaty.
  • July 8Francis Gary PowersFrancis Gary Powers is charged with espionage resulting from his flight over the Soviet Union.
  • December 14Ian MeckiffAustralian cricketer Ian Meckiff was run out on the last day of the first Test match between Australia and the West Indies, resulting in…
  • May 221960 Valdivia earthquakeThe most powerful earthquake ever recorded, registering approximately 9.5 Mw, struck near Valdivia, Chile, generating tsunamis that reach…
  • October 29Curtiss C-46 CommandoA C-46 airliner carrying the Cal Poly Mustangs football team crashed during takeoff from Toledo Express Airport in Ohio, U.S., resulting…
  • May 1Cold WarCold War: U-2 incident: Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Sverdlovsk Oblast, Soviet Union, sparking…
  • January 1East House mass shootingThree men were killed and two wounded in a mass shooting at a public house in Sheffield, England.

Everything we record for 1960 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Nedelin catastrophe”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/nedelin-catastrophe-1960-october-24, accessed October 25, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Nedelin catastrophe happen?

October 24 1960 — 66 years ago, on a Monday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.