"On This Date in Cryptologic History" Calendar
1983: KAL 007 Shot Down
1983: Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down by Soviet fighters.
As a result of the incident, the United States altered tracking procedures for aircraft departing Alaska. The interface of the autopilot used on airliners was redesigned to make it more ergonomic. In addition, the event was one of the most important single events that prompted the Reagan administration to allow worldwide access to the United States military's GNSS system, which was classified at the time. Today this system is widely known as GPS. (source: wikipedia)