First flight close to Venus and most important Russian TV award make up tonight’s Historama.
Russian TV journalists get their own Emmy
On this day in 1991, the Russian Television Academy founded TEFI – a localized version of the Emmy.
TEFI is the largest and most prestigious TV award in Russia.
The prize itself is a statuette of Orpheus, who is tearing his chest apart to play on the strings of his soul.
In 2008, RT’s Kevin Owen won in the best news anchor nomination.
First spacecraft flies to Venus
On this day in 1975, the first ever man-made object orbited Venus.
The spacecraft was called Venera-9 (in Russian, Venera means Venus).
It also became the first mission to transmit photographs from another planet.
However, Venus proved to be a tough cookie – its surface temperature is 460°C and its atmospheric pressure is ninety times that of Earth.
Venera-9 also provided information on clouds, atmospheric composition and the surface environment of Venus.
Read more on this event in Russian history
Russian ‘fighters’ put end to Tatar yoke
On this day in 1480, the great stand-off on the Ugra River began.
It was the last confrontation between Tatar and Russian forces, though there was no fighting.
A number of military misunderstandings led to the two armies retreating in opposite directions – and that was that.
The failed battle nevertheless put an end to the 200-year-long Tatar-Mongol hold over Russian lands.