The U.S. Congress passed legislation establishing the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),
a civilian agency responsible for coordinating America’s
activities in space, on July 29, 1958.

NASA has since sponsored space expeditions, both
human and mechanical, that have yielded vital
information about the solar system and universe.

It has also launched numerous earth-orbiting satellites
that have been instrumental in everything from weather
forecasting to navigation to global communications.

NASA was created in response to the Soviet Union’s
October 4, 1957 launch of its first satellite, Sputnik I.

On July 29, 1967, The Doors’ song “Light My Fire,” from
their debut album, earned the top spot in the Billboard
Hot 100, becoming their first bona fide smash hit and
propelling the group from rock cult favorites into
international pop stars and avatars of the ’60s
counterculture.         
        

The Doors would follow up “Light My Fire” with a string
of era- defining albums and songs, including “People
Are Strange,”  “Love Me Two Times” and “The End” in
1967; “Hello, I Love You” and “Touch Me” in 1968; and
“L.A. Woman” and “Riders on the Storm” in 1971.