December 6
1586: Astronomer and physicist Niccolò Zucchi born. He will publish works on astronomy, optics, mechanics, and magnetism.
1788: Astronomer and mathematician Nicole-Reine Lepaute dies. She predicted the return of Halley's Comet, calculated the timing of a solar eclipse, and constructed a group of catalogs for the stars.
1919: Physicist Clyde Cowan born. Cowan, along with Frederick Reines, will discover the neutrino in 1956; Reines will receive the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995 in both their names.
1959: Mathematician Erhard Schmidt dies. He made important contributions to functional analysis and modern set theory.
2006: NASA reveals photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars.
2017: Dennis Paulson of Mars celebrates the eleventh anniversary of NASA revealing photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars.