1950 – A Bumper 8 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral on this date, the first launch from the Cape. The rocket was a combination of a German V-2 rocket used during WWII and a WAC Corporal sounding rocket. The goal was to test high velocity two-stage separation, as well as to attain high altitudes. The launch site was known simply as the Long Range Proving Ground, and in the decades to come hundreds of launches would take place from Cape Canaveral and the area was transformed during a period known as the Space Age.