On This Day
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John Young & Charles Duke explore the moon as part of NASA mission Apollo 16

Charles Moss Duke Jr. is an American former astronaut, United States Air Force (USAF) officer and test pilot who, as Lunar Module pilot of Apollo 16 in 1972, became the 10th and youngest person to...

Charles Moss Duke Jr. is an American former astronaut, United States Air Force (USAF) officer and test pilot who, as Lunar Module pilot of Apollo 16 in 1972, became the 10th and youngest person to walk on the Moon, at age 36 years and 201 days. Duke is one of four surviving Moon walkers, along with David Scott, Buzz Aldrin and Harrison Schmitt.

A 1957 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Duke joined the USAF and completed advanced flight training on the F-86 Sabre at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, where he was a distinguished graduate. After completion of this training, Duke served three years as a fighter pilot with the 526th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Ramstein Air Base in West Germany.

Historical Significance

Charles Moss Duke Jr.

Events Before

  1. Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US

    Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US

  2. 1st "Quickie" Divorce granted in UK

    1st "Quickie" Divorce granted in UK

  3. Tamla Records releases Marvin Gaye's single "What's Going On" about police brutality, from the album of the same name

    What's Going On is the eleventh studio album by the American soul singer Marvin Gaye. It was released on May 21, 1971, by the Motown Records subsidiary label Tamla.

  4. Military coup in Uganda led by Major General Idi Amin

    Idi Amin Dada Oumee (30 May 1928 – 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until his overthrow in 1979.

  5. General Idi Amin ousts Milton Obote and appoints himself President and Dictator of Uganda

    Idi Amin Dada Oumee (30 May 1928 – 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until his overthrow in 1979.

Events After

  1. Britain, Ireland, and Denmark become the 7th, 8th, and 9th members of the European Economic Community

    Denmark is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark, also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that...

  2. Elvis Presley files for divorce from Priscilla Presley on his 38th birthday

    Elvis Presley files for divorce from Priscilla Presley on his 38th birthday

  3. Actress Jane Fonda weds activist Tom Hayden

    Jane Seymour Fonda is an American actress and activist. Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television.

  4. In a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court legalizes most abortions (Roe v. Wade). Writing the majority opinion, Justi

    In a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court legalizes most abortions (Roe v. Wade). Writing the majority opinion, Justice Harry Blackmun states that the criminalization of abortion does not have "roots in the English common law tradition."

  5. US President Richard Nixon announces an accord has been reached to end the Vietnam War

    Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974.

More from the 1970s

death

Erroll Garner dies

Erroll Garner dies

birth

Chai Jing is born

Chai Jing, Chinese journalist and environmental activist, known for chinese journalist and environmental activist, was born on 1976-01-01. Chai Jing is a Chinese journalist.

Charles "Chub" Feeney becomes the President of Major League Baseball's National League

Charles Stoneham "Chub" Feeney (August 31, 1921 – January 10, 1994) was an Irish-American front office executive in Major League Baseball.

Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US

Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on April 21, 1972?
Charles Moss Duke Jr. is an American former astronaut, United States Air Force (USAF) officer and test pilot who, as Lunar Module pilot of Apollo 16 in 1972, became the 10th and youngest person to walk on the Moon, at age 36 years and 201 days. Duke is one of four surviving Moon walkers, along with David Scott, Buzz Aldrin and Harrison Schmitt.
Why is John Young & Charles Duke explore the moon as part of NASA mission Apollo 16 significant?
Charles Moss Duke Jr.

Explore More

April 21 in HistoryYear 1972