Atlantis Docks Mir: Cold War Thaws in Space
The Space Shuttle Atlantis docked with the Russian space station Mir on June 29, creating the largest spacecraft ever assembled in orbit at that moment. This historic union ended a twenty-year hiatus in U.S.-Russian cooperation by swapping crews and delivering vital supplies to the aging station. The mission successfully retrieved astronaut Norman Thagard while launching joint life sciences experiments that proved long-term international collaboration could sustain human presence in space.
June 29, 1995
31 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on June 29
Cao Rui was 22 when he inherited an empire still bleeding from his father's failures. Cao Pi had spent years chasing total conquest of China and died with nothi…
Cao Pi succumbed to illness, ending his seven-year reign as the first emperor of the Cao Wei dynasty. His son, Cao Rui, immediately ascended the throne, inherit…
Nur ad-Din Zangi crushed the Crusader army at the Battle of Inab, killing Prince Raymond of Poitiers and scattering his forces. This decisive victory shattered …
A devastating earthquake struck Syria, destroying large sections of Hama and Shaizar and severely damaging the Crusader fortress Krak des Chevaliers and the cat…
Sverre didn't just become King of Norway — he became the man the Pope refused to recognize. He claimed descent from King Eystein II, a story many doubted, but h…
The Church refused to crown him. So Sverre crowned himself. A former Faroese priest with a disputed claim to the Norwegian throne, Sverre Sigurdsson had spent y…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.