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The Titan I was the United States' first true multistage ICBM. It was the first in a series of Titan rockets, but was unique among them in that it used LOX and RP-1 as its fuels, while the later versions all used storable fuels instead.

Titan 1 complex at Beale AFB, April 1962. The B-52 flyby was staged for the 1963 movie A Gathering of Eagles .

The program began in January 1955 and took shape in parallel with the Atlas (SM-65/HGM-25) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The Air Force's goal in launching the Titan program was twofold: one, to serve as a backup should Atlas fail; and two, to develop a large, two-stage missile with a longer range and bigger payload that also could serve as a booster for space flights.

Produced by the Glenn L. Martin CompanyThe Glenn L. Martin Company was an aircraft company founded by aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin on August 16, 1912. Martin started out building military trainers in Santa Ana, California, and then in 1916, accepted a merger offer from the Wright Company, (which became "The Martin Company" in 1957Events January January 2 San Francisco and Los Angeles stock exchanges merge. January 3 Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch January 4 After 69 years the last issue of Colliers magazine is published January 5 Russell Endean becomes t), Titan I was a two-stage, liquid-fueled missile. The first stage delivered 300,000 pounds force (1,334 kN) of thrust, the second stage 80,000 pounds force (356 kN). The fact that Titan I, like Atlas, burned RP-1 and LOX was a severe drawback.

The missile utilized both radio and all-inertial guidance. Deployed in a "hard" underground silo, it had to be raised to surface by a special launcher for firing. The Titan I had an effective range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km). As each stage was fired, its engines and fuel tanks dropped away, thereby decreasing the mass of the vehicle. That made for a more efficient missile, which resulted in increased range and enabled a larger payload.

When the storable fueled Titan II and the solid fueled Minuteman I were deployed in 1963Events January-March January 11 The Whisky A Go-Go night club in Los Angeles, the first disco in the USA, is opened. January 14 George Wallace becomes governor of Alabama. January 22 Elysee treaty between France and Germany January 28 Black student Harvey, the Titan I and Atlas missiles became obsolete. They were retired from service as ICBMs in early 19651965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). Events January-February January 4 United States President Lyndon Johnson proclaims his " Great Society" during his State of the Union address. January 14 Prime Ministers of N. The Titan II remained in service until the 1980s however, as it carried a much larger payload that could be used as an effective "city buster".