The Great Geek Manual

1826
Samuel Morey patents the internal combustion engine.

1948
Alpher, Bethe and Gamow’s famous letter to Physical Review is published. The “Big Bang” theory had previously been around as a competing theory with “Steady State.” Their paper gave a “hot Big Bang” mathematical analysis of atomic events during the creation of the universe, and explains the relative abundance of the light elements (particularly helium) in the universe. The paper is written by Ralph Alpher and George Gamow. The esteemed Hans Bethe was persuaded to lend his name as a co-author for the amusing similarity to “alpha, beta, gamma,” the first letters of the Greek alphabet, but Bethe will actually make later contributions to discussions of the theory.

1960
The first weather observation satellite, Tiros I, is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the United States in order to test experimental techniques for taking television footage of weather patterns from orbit. It is the first of several launched in the TIROS program, named for their function: Television Infrared Observation Satellite. The launch is NASA’s first step in determining whether satellites can be useful in the study of the Earth. At that time, the effectiveness of satellite observations was still unproven. TIROS will prove extremely successful in weather forecasting.

1970
US President Richard Nixon signs the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, requiring surgeon general’s warnings on tobacco products and banning cigarette advertisements on television and radio in the United States as of January 1, 1971.

1976
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak incorporate the Apple Computer Company.

1979
President Jimmy Carter visits the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, three days after the most serious nuclear accident in US history. He tours the control room, a deliberate public display of confidence on Carter’s part to demonstrate that the situation is under control. Carter has a thorough understanding of nuclear reactors. As a Navy officer in the early fifties, when he was selected by to assist in the design and development of nuclear propulsion plants for the Naval Reactors Branch. He also trained as an engineering officer for a nuclear power plant.

1992
a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo”>Nintendo releases The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Super NES in the US.

1993
Lou Gerstner replaces John Akers as chairman and CEO of IBM. Gerstner is credited with having saved IBM from going out of business in the early nineties, in one of the most remarkable turn-abouts in business history. Visit Gerstner’s official biography at IBM. Visit Akers’ official biography at IBM.

1994
Nintendo releases Super Metroid video game for the Super NES in the US.

1997
In the lawsuit of Intel versus Cyrix, Cyrix agrees to a settlement, agreeing to acknowledge the term “MMX” as an Intel trademark.

Midway releases Doom 64 video game for the Nintendo 64 in the US.

2000
Negotiations for a settlement between Microsoft and the US Department of Justice over the monopoly issue fail.

Nintendo releases the Pokémon Trading Card video game for the Game Boy Color in the US.

2002
The Netherlands legalizes euthanasia, becoming the first nation in the world to do so.

Sony reduces the price of several PlayStation 2 video games in the US, releasing them as “Greatest Hits” for US$24.99 each. The first titles in the series are: ATV Offroad Fury, Dark Clouds, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, Twisted Metal: Black.

2003
In Japan, videogame producers Square and Enix complete their merger to form Square Enix, known for such series as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.

Intel releases the 2.3 and 2.4 GHz Celeron processor, for low-price computers. Price: US$117 and US$127 in 1000-unit quantities.

2004
Gmail, Google’s free Webmail and POP3 e-mail service, is released as an invitation-only beta. The service will be opened to the public on February 7, 2007.

2005
Sin City, directed by Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino and staring Bruce Willis, is released to theaters. The film, an adaptation of Frank Miller’s popular comic series of the same name, is one of the first (along with Casshern, Immortel (Ad Vitam), and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) to be shot primarily on a digital backlot. Most scenes were shot in front of a green screen, with artificial backgrounds and many foreground elements added in post-production. For more information, visit the Internet Movie Database.

2006
The Serious Organised Crime Agency, dubbed the “British FBI,” is formed in the United Kingdom. The organization will acts against organized crime, including the illegal drugs trade, money laundering, and people smuggling. It boasts that it will, in part, improve the government’s ability to investigate gangs that use the internet for extortion, fraud, and hacking.

The last episode of Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII is released in Japan, ending the series at twenty-five episodes. Before Crisis is a Japanese role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in 2004. It is the first original game to be produced by Square Enix for mobile phones, and is released on a monthly subscription basis.