1 of 6 | An overhead view of the Skylab Orbital Workshop in Earth orbit is pictured on February 8, 1974. The United States launched Skylab, its first manned orbiting laboratory, on this day in 1973. NASA/UPI | License Photo On this date in history: In 1643, King Louis XIV, who would be known as "The Sun King," became ruler of France at the age of 4. Advertisement In 1796, Dr. Edward Jenner, a rural England physician, tested his smallpox vaccine. It was a success. In 1804, one year after the United States doubled its territory with the Louisiana Purchase,...