Historical eventApril 81993

Space Shuttle Discovery

The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on mission STS-56.

Everything on April 8Original source

In context

When
Thursday, April 8 199333 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1990s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1993.

What happened

Space Shuttle Discovery is a retired American Space Shuttle orbiter. The spaceplane was one of the orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984. Over 27 years of service it launched and landed 39 times, aggregating more spaceflights than any other spacecraft as of December 2024. The Space Shuttle launch vehicle had three main components: the Space Shuttle orbiter,

April 8 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1975Voyageurs National Park
  2. 1990New Democracy (Greece)
  3. 1993Space Shuttle Discovery
  4. 2002Space Shuttle Atlantis
  5. 2005Solar eclipse of April 8, 2005
  6. 2008Soyuz TMA-12
  7. 2010Barack Obama
  8. 2014Windows XP
  9. 2020Bernie Sanders
  10. 2024Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024
  11. 20268 April 2026 Israeli attacks on Lebanon

Also in 1993

  • September 9Israeli–Palestinian peace processIsraeli–Palestinian peace process: The Palestine Liberation Organization officially recognizes Israel as a legitimate state.
  • September 12STS-51NASA launches Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-51.
  • September 13Nirvana (band)Nirvana released their third and final studio album, In Utero, which went on to sell more than 15 million copies.
  • September 13Yitzhak RabinIsraeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shakes hands with Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat at the White House after…
  • September 14Lufthansa Flight 2904Lufthansa Flight 2904, an Airbus A320, crashes into an embankment after overshooting the runway at Okęcie International Airport (now Wars…
  • November 17United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives passes a resolution to establish the North American Free Trade Agreement.
  • November 17Sani AbachaIn Nigeria, General Sani Abacha ousts the government of Ernest Shonekan in a military coup.
  • August 10List of earthquakes in New ZealandTwo earthquakes affect New Zealand. A 7.0 Mw shock (intensity VI (Strong)) in the South Island was followed nine hours later by a 6.4 Mw…

Everything we record for 1993 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Space Shuttle Discovery”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/space-shuttle-discovery-1993-april-8, 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 Space Shuttle Discovery happen?

April 8 1993 — 33 years ago, on a Thursday.

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.

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