2013 Event NASA scientists achieve a first in laser communication when they successfully beam a picture of Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a spacecraft orbiting the Moon 1999 Death Arthur Schawlow, physicist, co-inventer of the laser, dies at 77 1981 Event Nicolaas Bloembergen and Arthur Schawlow win Nobel for physics (laser) 1971 Birthday Hamish Pepper, Auckland New Zealand, laser single handed yachter 1996 Olympics 1970 Birthday Michael Blackburn, Australian laser yachter 1996 Olympics 1969 Birthday J. Nick Adamson, born in Freeport, Bahamas, U.S. laser yachter, 1996 Olympics 1962 Event Laser beam successfully bounced off Moon for 1st time 1922 Birthday Nikolaj G. Bassov, born in Russia, atomic physicist, laser, Nobel 1964
