On this day

March 17, 1958

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from March 17, 1958

Notable Deaths

John Boland (Irish nationalist politician)

1958John Pius Boland, Irish tennis player and politician (born 1870)[†]

John Mary Pius Boland was an Irish Nationalist politician, and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party for South Kerry from 1900 to 1918. He was also noteworthy as a gold medallist tennis player at the first modern Olympics.

Bertha De Vriese

1958Bertha De Vriese, Belgian physician (born 1877)[†]

Bertha De Vriese was a Belgian physician. When she earned her degree as a doctor of medicine at Ghent University, where she was the first woman to conduct research and the first woman physician to graduate from the school. Although she was not allowed to pursue an academic career, De Vriese opened a private pediatric clinic and served as the director of the Children's Ward at the Bijloke Hospital in Ghent. In 1914, she married Josef Vercouillie, also a physician.

Historical Events

Vanguard 1

1958The United States launches the first solar-powered satellite, which is also the first satellite to achieve a long-term orbit.[†]

Vanguard 1 is an American satellite that was the fourth artificial Earth-orbiting satellite to be successfully launched, following Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2, and Explorer 1. It was launched 17 March 1958. Vanguard 1 was the first satellite to have solar electric power. Although communications with the satellite were lost in 1964, it remains the oldest man-made object still in orbit, together with the upper stage of its launch vehicle.

Historical Context for March 17, 1958

In 1958, the world population was approximately 2,911,249,671 people[†]