This Day in History

Sartre Wins and Declines Nobel Prize

Jean-Paul Sartre won and then declined the Nobel Prize for Literature. He regretted that it gave the appearance of scandal, but declined because he felt that accepting the award would limit his reach and influence as a writer.

China’s Atomic Bomb

China exploded an atomic bomb at 15:00 hours on October 16, 1964, thereby successfully carrying out its first nuclear test. This is a major achievement of the Chinese people in their struggle to strengthen their national defence and oppose the U.S. imperialist policy of nuclear blackmail and nuclear threats.

Voskhod I

USSR launches Voskhod I, first spacecraft with multi-person crew; it is also the first mission in which the crew did not wear space suits.