2015 Event NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft ends its three-year orbit around Mercury with a planned crash into the planet's surface; originally, the probe was to orbit and collect data for one year, but fuel saving efforts extended its mission for two more years 2013 Event Astronaut Scott Carpenter, the second American to orbit the earth on Mercury 7, dies of complications from a stroke at the age of 88 2013 Event Northwest Africa 7325, a green meteorite found in Morocco, 2012, may have originated on planet Mercury; if scientists are correct, this will be the first known meteorite from Mercury 2012 Event New findings from MESSENGER, NASA's space probe, indicate almost definitively, that the north pole of Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, has water ice buried beneath the surface 2012 Event Astronomers have identified the nearest planet outside of our Solar System, Alpha Centauri B, which circles its star much closer than Mercury orbits our Sun 2004 Death Gary Webb, investigative journalist, wrote articles for 'San Jose Mercury News' about Nicaraguan cocaine smugglers linked to CIA-backed Contras, dies from two gunshot wounds to the head, judged a suicide 2000 Event Conjunction of Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Moon 1999 Event Next transit of Mercury visible in North America 1998 Event WNBA Championships, Houston Comets beat Phoenix Mercury 2 games to 1 1997 Event Mercury Mail announces its 1 millionth internet subscriber 1992 Event All star concert in memory of Freddie Mercury held at Wembley Stadium 1991 Death Freddie Mercury, British singer (Queen), dies of AIDS at 45 1991 Event A day before he dies, Freddie Mercury, 45, confirms he has AIDS 1981 Event Former Dolphin, Mercury Morris, is sentenced to 20 years for drug trafficing, conspiracy, and possession of cocaine 1975 Birthday Molly Tuter, WNBA guard, Phoenix Mercury 1975 Birthday Umeki Webb, WNBA guard and forward, Phoenix Mercury 1975 Event U.S. Mariner 10 makes 3rd and final fly-by of Mercury 1974 Event U.S. Mariner 10 makes 2nd fly-by of Mercury 1974 Birthday Tara Williams, WNBA guard, Phoenix Mercury 1974 Event Mariner 10's, 1st fly-by of Mercury, returns photos 1973 Event Mariner 10 launched-1st Venus pics, 1st mission to Mercury 1973 Birthday Mercury Hayes, wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons 1972 Birthday Tia Jackson, WNBA forward, Phoenix Mercury 1971 Birthday Toni Foster, WNBA forward and center, Phoenix Mercury 1971 Event Boeing receives contract for Mariner 10, Mercury exploration 1971 Birthday Bridget Pettis, WNBA guard, Phoenix Mercury 1970 Birthday Monique Ambers, WNBA forward, Phoenix Mercury 1970 Birthday Marlies Askamp, WNBA forward, Phoenix Mercury 1969 Event Firestone World Bowling Tournament (Mercury Open) won by Jim Godman 1965 Birthday Michele Timms, WNBA guard, Phoenix Mercury, Olympics-1988, 96 1964 Birthday Jennifer Gillom, WNBA center and forward, Phoenix Mercury, Gold Medal 1988 Olympics 1963 Event Gordon Cooper completes 22 orbits in Faith 7, ends U.S. Proj Mercury 1963 Event Last Project Mercury flight, L Gordon Cooper in Faith 7, launched 1962 Event Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn within 16 degrees 1961 Event Launch of Mercury 4 (Liberty Bell) with Grissom 1961 Event Mercury/Atlas rocket lifted off with an electronic mannequin 1961 Event Unmanned Mercury test explodes on launch pad 1961 Event Ham is 1st primate in space (158 miles) aboard Mercury/Redstone 2 1960 Event Little Joe 4 suborbital Mercury test reaches 16 km 1959 Event NASA names 1st 7 astronauts for Project Mercury 1958 Event U.S. manned space-flight project renamed Project Mercury 1958 Birthday Nancy Lieberman Cline, Brooklyn, WNBA guard, Phoenix Mercury, Silver Medal 1976 Olympics 1955 Birthday Gary Webb, born in America, investigative journalist, wrote articles for 'San Jose Mercury News' about Nicaraguan cocaine smugglers linked to CIA-backed Contras 1950 Birthday Graham Parker, musician, Live Sparks, Mercury Poisoning 1946 Birthday Freddie Mercury, Bulsara, British vocalist, Queen-We are Champions 1940 Birthday Bruce Channel, born in Jacksonville, Bruce McMeans, Texas, singer, rocker, known for hit song, 'Hey! Baby', rock and roll, pop music, recorded with Smash Records, Mercury Records 1932 Birthday Peter Stormonth Darling, CEO, Mercury Asset Management Group 1925 Birthday Malcolm Scott Carpenter, born in Boulder, Colorado, astronaut, Mercury 7-Aurora 7 1923 Birthday Alan B. Shepard, Jr., East Derry, New Hampshire, Rear Admiral USN astronaut, Mercury 3, Apollo 14 1923 Birthday Wally Schirra, born in New Jersey, astronaut, flew in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, America's first three space programs 1921 Birthday John Glenn, born in Cambridge, Ohio, astronaut, Mercury 7, STS-95, Senator-D-Ohio 1882 Birthday George Jean Nathan, U.S., editor/author/critic, American Mercury 1880 Birthday Henry Louis Mencken, U.S. essayist/critic, American Mercury 1859 Event 1st sighting of Vulcan, a planet thought to orbit inside Mercury 1762 Event 1st female (Ann Franklin) U.S. newspaper editor, Newport RI, Mercury 1753 Event French King Louis XV observes transit of Mercury at Mendon Castle 1693 Event 1st woman's magazine "Ladies' Mercury" published (London) 1661 Event Johannes Hevelius observes 3rd transit of Mercury ever to be seen 1631 Event Pierre Gassendi observes transit of Mercury predicted by Kepler
