1987 Event Flight Readiness Firing of Discovery's main engines is successfully 1987 Event 4th full-duration test firing of redesigned SRB motor 1985 Event Flight readiness firing of Atlantis' main engines; 20 seconds 1984 Event Flight readiness firing of Discovery's main engines 1983 Event 2nd flight readiness firing of Challenger's main engines; 22 seconds 1982 Event Flight readiness firing of Challenger's main engines; 20 seconds 1981 Event Flight readiness firing of Columbia's main engines; 20 seconds 1979 Event 1st space shuttle SRB qualification test firing; 122 seconds 1978 Event Thiokol conducts 2nd test firing of space shuttle's SRB 1976 Event Thiokol conducts 2-minute firing of space shuttle's SRB at Brigham, Utah 1959 Event 1st ship firing of a Polaris missile, Observation Island 1958 Event U.S. reports 1st full-range firing of an ICBM 1957 Event 1st test firing of Vanguard satellite launch vehicle, TV-3 1956 Event 1st test firing of Vanguard satellite program, TV-0 1949 Event 1st firing of a U.S. Viking rocket; reached 80 km 1945 Event U.S. artillery lands on Keise Shima/begins firing on Okinawa 1944 Event Nazi troops executed 96 prisoners by firing squad 1943 Birthday Jeff Greenfield, born in New York City, media commentator, Firing Line, Nightline 1917 Death Mata Hari, Dutch dancer/German spy, executed by firing squad in Paris 1916 Death Padraic Pearse, Irishg nationalist, executed by British firing squad 1914 Event German army executed 150 Belgians by firing squad
