At first glance, Pakachoag Golf Course in Auburn, Massachusetts, appears like any other with manicured landscapes and ducks bobbing in ponds. But walk from the parking lot to the ninth hole and you’ll find a small obelisk revealing the property has a history that extends far beyond golf.
On March 16, 1926, this was the launch site of the world’s first modern rocket.
Local scientist Robert Goddard had been experimenting with the design for years, attracting national attention — and the mockery that came with it. As it sat ready for launch on what was then a cabbage farm, the rocket almost looked jerry-rigged. It consisted of metal tubes that were welded together and featured a novel fuel of gasoline and liquid oxygen…