This Day in FAA History: July 4th

Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19270704: The Lockheed Vega first flew. The single-engine, high-wing monoplane seating up to six passengers marked an important step toward the low-drag designs with which U.S. manufacturers were to revolutionize airliners in the 1930s. The Vega went into passenger service on September 17, 1928, with International Airlines.
19820704: Following a ten-month interagency review, President Reagan issued a decision directive stating that expansion of U.S. private sector involvement in civil space activities was a national goal. As the government phased out certain expendable launch vehicles (ELVs), private interest in commercial operation of these systems was rising. On November 16, 1983, the President chose DOT as the lead organization for ELV commercialization. On February 24, 1984, Executive Order 12465 formally designated DOT as the lead agency for encouraging, facilitating, and licensing commercial ELV activities. DOT entrusted these duties to a new Office of Commercial Space Transportation that it had begun to organize during 1983 (see August 7, 1995). Congress affirmed and expanded these actions through the Commercial Space Launch Act, enacted on October 30, 1984. This legislation made DOT responsible for enumerated activities to encourage and regulate U.S. commercial space launches.