Ingenuity (helicopter)

Historical eventApril 192021

Ingenuity (helicopter)

The Ingenuity helicopter becomes the first aircraft to achieve flight on another planet.

5th anniversary in 2026

Everything on April 19Original source
Photo: NASA/JPL/Corby Waste · Public domain

In context

When
Monday, April 19 20215 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
21st century · 2020s
Anniversary
5th in 2026
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 2014.

Type: unmanned helicopter and space probe.

What came before

Part of: Mars 2020.

What happened

Ingenuity, nicknamed Ginny, is an autonomous helicopter that operated on Mars from 2021 to 2024 as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission. Ingenuity made its first flight on 19 April 2021, demonstrating that flight is possible in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars, and became the first aircraft to conduct a powered and controlled extraterrestrial flight. It was designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in collaboration with AeroVironment,

April 19 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1995Oklahoma City bombing
  2. 1999Bundestag
  3. 2000Air Philippines Flight 541
  4. 2001Space Shuttle Endeavour
  5. 20052005 conclave
  6. 2008Quito Ultratumba nightclub fire
  7. 2011Fidel Castro
  8. 2013Boston Marathon bombing
  9. 2015Killing of Freddie Gray
  10. 20202020 Nova Scotia attacks
  11. 2021Ingenuity (helicopter)

Also in 2021

  • March 14TatmadawThe Burmese military and police forces killed at least 65 civilians during the Hlaingthaya massacre in Yangon, including those protesting…
  • March 14Hlaingthaya massacreBurmese security forces kill at least 65 civilians in the Hlaingthaya massacre.
  • September 12Siberian Light Aviation Flight 51Siberian Light Aviation Flight 51 crashes short of the runway at Kazachinskoye Airport, killing four.
  • September 162021 Luxian earthquakeA 6.0 Mw earthquake strikes Lu County, Sichuan, China, killing three and injuring more than 88.
  • September 16Inspiration4Inspiration4, the first private orbital crewed spaceflight, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center.
  • September 5Alpha CondéThe President of Guinea, Alpha Condé is captured by armed forces during a coup d'état.
  • August 142021 Haiti earthquakeA magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in Haiti, killing at least 2,248 people and causing $1.5 billion in damages and economic loss.
  • November 5Astroworld Festival crowd crushThe Astroworld Festival crowd crush results in 10 deaths and 25 people being hospitalized

Everything we record for 2021 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Ingenuity (helicopter)”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/ingenuity-helicopter-2021-april-19, accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Ingenuity (helicopter) happen?

April 19 2021 — 5 years ago, on a Monday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.