One thing you might not have known about NASA is their role in the development of air traffic management. According to the FAA there are an average of 45,000 flights every day in the US, and every one of those planes needs to be able to take off, fly, and land in an incredibly complex network of tangled paths, all without running into one another.
On November 13, 1833 the night became as bright as daylight, the heavens fell, and people feared that it was the end of times. The event was so dramatic that it sparked both a new religion and a new science.