On this day in 1952, Japan and the Republic of China signed the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty in Taipei, officially ending the Second Sino-Japanese War.
On this day in 1959, the United States launched its Jupiter rocket into space with two monkeys aboard. The monkeys returned to earth safely, opening the way for manned space flight.
On this day in 2001, Dennis Tito, an American engineer and multimillionaire, became the world's first space tourist.