This Chimp, Known as “ham the Astrochimp,” Was Launched into Outer Space, 1961
Space Jam: This chimp, known as “Ham the Astrochimp,” was launched into outer space, on 31 January 1961, as part of America’s space program. Made in 1961, it is the kind of image that turns a date in a history book into something you can actually see.
The 1960s moved fast: the space race put satellites and then astronauts overhead, television replaced print as the main source of news, and social change swept through music, fashion, and politics. Photojournalism was at its peak, with picture magazines and newspapers employing armies of photographers.
Pictures of ordinary life are some of the most valuable historical documents we have. Grand events were always going to be recorded, but a normal day — how people worked, dressed, shopped, and passed the time — survives only when someone happened to point a camera at it.
