June 14 | in Event Today
In 1949 Albert II became the first monkey in space that survived
Albert II became the first monkey in space on June 14, 1949, but he perished on reentry when the parachute of his capsule failed. Albert III and IV, two more monkeys, were also killed when their rockets failed. Albert II survived the launch but perished when his capsule collided with the earth due to a parachute malfunction.