1957
First J58 engine run
24 December-
-
1960
Francis Gary Powers is shot down in a Lockheed U-2 over the Soviet Union
1 May -
1962
SR-71 Mock-up reviewed by the USAF
13 June -
1964
President Johnson makes public announcement of SR-71
25 July -
1964
First flight of the SR-71, with Lockheed test pilot Robert J "Bob" Gilliland at Palmdale
22 December -
1968
Lockheed ordered to destroy A-12, YF-12, and SR-71 tooling
5 February -
1968
First SR-71 (AF Ser. No. 61-7976) operational mission flown from Kadena AB over Vietnam
21 March -
1975
First flight of SR-71A (AF Ser. No. 61-7959) in "big tail" configuration
3 December -
1989
SR-71, AF Ser. No. 61-7974, is lost due to an engine explosion after taking off from Kadena AB, the last Blackbird to be lost
21 April -
1989
USAF SR-71 program officially terminated
22 November -
1990
Last SR-71 flight under Senior Crown program, setting four speed records en route to the Smithsonian Institution
6 March -
1991
NASA engineer Marta Bohn-Meyer becomes the first female SR-71 crew member
October -
1999
The last flight of the SR-71 (AF Ser. No. 61-7980/NASA 844)
9 October