Origins & Early Life

Chris Austin Hadfield (born August 29, 1959) is a retired Royal Canadian Air Force colonel, test pilot, and CSA astronaut. As the first Canadian to perform extravehicular activity in outer space, he has flown two Space Shuttle missions and also served as commander of the International Space Station (ISS). Prior to his career as an astronaut, he served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 25 years as an Air Command fighter pilot. Hadfield has cited part of his career inspiration to have come to him as a child, when he watched the first crewed Moon landing by American spaceflight Apollo 11 on television.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He attended high school in Oakville and Milton in southern Ontario, and earned his glider pilot licence as a member of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. After enlisting in the Canadian Armed Forces, he earned an engineering degree at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. Hadfield learned to fly various types of aircraft in the military and eventually became a test pilot, flying several experimental planes. As part of an exchange program with the United States Navy and United States Air Force, he obtained a master's degree in aviation systems at the University of Tennessee Space Institute...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Ahlam Mosteghanemi — Contemporary (Born in 1959) (1959): Pioneering Algerian poet and novelist celebrated for her evocative Arabic literature.
• Anil Kapoor — Contemporary (Born in 1959) (1959): Veteran Indian actor and film producer known for over four decades in Hindi cinema.
• Ante Pavelić — Contemporary (Died in 1959) (1959): Croatian politician and dictator of the Independent State of Croatia (1941-1945)
• Alfred Peet — Shared historical date (08-29 · Died) (2007): Dutch-American founder credited with starting the US specialty coffee revolution.
• Éamon de Valera — Shared historical date (08-29 · Died) (1975): Dominant Irish statesman, leading figure in the establishment of modern Irish governance.
• Babyface (musician) — Historical peer (Born in 1959) (1959): Award-winning R&B singer, songwriter, and producer known for his smooth vocals.
• Barthélemy Boganda — Historical peer (Died in 1959) (1959): Pioneering Central African politician and independence activist.
• Arthur B. McDonald — Shared historical date (08-29 · Born) (1943): Pioneering Canadian astrophysicist, recognized for neutrino research and the 2015 Nobel Prize.
• Atahualpa — Shared historical date (08-29 · Died) (1533): The last effective Inca Emperor, whose reign marked the end of the great Andean civilization.
• Basil I — Shared historical date (08-29 · Died) (886): Byzantine Emperor, founder of the Macedonian Dynasty, 867-886.
• 1959 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1959
• August 29 (08-29) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on August 29