1695
A British patent is granted to Daniel Quare for a portable portable weather-glass (barometer) “which may be removed and transported to any place, though turned upside down, without spilling one drop of the quicksilver, or letting any air into the tube, or excluding the pressure of the atmosphere. . .”
1858
The first mail boxes in the United States, which are already in use in Belgium, are installed in New York and Boston.
1870
Tower Subway, the first tube railway in the world, is opened under the River Thames in London, England. Engineer James Henry bored the 6 foot diameter tunnel near the Tower of London. It opened with steam operated lifts and a twelve seat carriage shuttled from end to end by wires powered by a steam engine. It will be closed within three months due to frequent breakdowns.
1926
The first Vitaphone sound-on-disc film program is presented by Warner Bros at the Warner Theatre in New York. The sound is recorded on a sixteen inch disc, playing at 33rpm. It’s thought that the films will eventually replace live theatrical entertainment. The demonstration film features Mary Astor and John Barrymore.
1931
Albert Einstein urges all scientists to refuse military work.
1939
Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd, representing fellow physicists who have discovered that an atomic bomb could be built from uranium, write a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt explaining the dangers of Germany developing Atomic Bomb capabilities before the United States. The letter comes just before the beginning of World War II. The scientists warn Roosevelt of efforts in Nazi Germany to purify Uranium-235. Soon after the letter, the United States Government begins “The Manhattan Project.”
1985
Universal Pictures releases the sci-fi comedy Weird Science, directed by John Hughes and starring Anthony Michael Hall, Kelly LeBrock, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Bill Paxton, Robert Downey Jr., Robert Rusler, Judie Aronson, Suzanne Snyder, Vernon Wells, and Britt Leach, to 1,158 US theaters. In the film, two social misfits, Gary and Wyatt, decide to use a computer to create the perfect woman after they repeatedly strike out with girls their own age. The result is a mysterious, supernatural woman named Lisa who gives the two boys the time of their lives, just not in the way they expected. The film will gross US$4,895,421 domestically in its opening weekend. IMDB listing
1993
Michael Elansky (also known by the handle “Ionizer”), a twenty-one year old University of Hartford student, is arrested for two “anarchy” files on his “Ware House BBS,” which contain bomb-making instructions. Unable to post the US$500,000 bail, Elansky will await trial in jail for nearly four months, and eventually plead guilty for a twenty-eight months of prison, down from a possible ten years. The case receives a lot of attention for its first amendment issues. Read more at Textfiles.com.
Nintendo releases the Super Mario All-Stars compilation for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in North America. The compilation contains enhanced remakes of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3. An alternate version which also includes Super Mario World will later come bundled with the Super Nintendo in December 1994. ESRB: K-A (Kids to Adults)
1994
Donald A. Thomas, Jr., Director of Customer Services for the Atari Corporation, completes a report of registered Jaguar owners. Of the 14,099 registered owners, 99% are male, 82% of the respondents are between the ages of 12 to 34 with 40% are between the ages of 18-24. 56% of those returning legible warranty cards also own a Sega Genesis and an equal number report that they also own a Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). A near equal number, approximately 25%, own either an Atari Lynx or Nintendo Game Boy.
1996
20th Century Fox releases the sci-fi action film Chain Reaction, directed by Andrew Davis and starring Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Morgan Freeman, and Fred Ward, to 2,255 US theaters. Two researchers who have created a process to produce energy from water go on the run when they are framed for murder and treason by a government conspiracy to conceal the technology. Produced on a budget of US$55 million, the film will gross US$7,545,944 in its opening weekend. IMDB listing
Acclaim Entertainment releases Mortal Kombat II for the PlayStation in Japan.
Apple Computer introduces the dual-processor Power Macintosh 9500/180 MP computer, featuring two 180 MHz PowerPC 604e processors, 32 MB RAM, 2 GB hard drive, and 8x CD-ROM drive. price is US$5,699.
Apple Computer introduces the Performa 6400 computer featuring either a 180 or 200MHz PowerPC 603e processor, an optional 256kB L2 cache, 16MB RAM, a 1.6 or 2.4 GB hard drive, and two PCI slots.
Apple Computer introduces the Power Macintosh 9500/200, featuring a 200MHz PowerPC 604e processor, 32MB RAM, a 2GB hard drive, and a 8X CD-ROM drive.
1997
On the other hand, Wizards of the Coast is granted a patent on for several basic CCG techniques. They will use these patents to leverage a contract to become Nintendo’s manufacturer of the Pokemon card game for North America, Europe, and the Middle East.
1999
Intel releases a 600 MHz version of the Katmai core Pentium III processor. Price: $669
Microsoft releases early test versions of Millennium, a consumer-oriented upgrade of the Windows operating system to hardware makers and software developers. The product is scheduled to be released to consumers “sometime in the year 2000.”
2000
Gathering of Developers releases the third person shooter Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.² for personal computers. The game is based on the Quake III game engine. ESRB: Mature (M)
The Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) software company announces that it will sell its Server Software and Services Divisions, as well as UnixWare and OpenServer technologies, to Caldera Systems, Inc. The purchase will be completed in May 2001. Caldera will change its name to “Caldera International,” and the remaining part of SCO, the Tarantella Division, will changed its name to “Tarantella, Inc.”
United States Judge James Robinson orders an emergency hearing on a privacy rights organization’s request for details about of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) email surveillance tool called Carnivore. At the 3:00pm federal courthouse hearing in Washington, the Judge ordered the FBI to comply with the privacy group’s request pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. Carnivore is policeware that is essentially a customizable packet sniffer that monitors all of a target’s Internet traffic.
2001
A federal appeals court rejects Microsoft’s request to re-hear a prior ruling against them finding that they had improperly exercised monopolistic power to have “commingled” Internet Explorer with releases of the Windows operating system.
The Gen Con Game Fair is held August 2nd through the 5th in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. More than twenty-five thousand people attend. Visit the official Gen Con website.
2002
The Stargate SG-1 episode “The Other Guys” first airs. In it, Dr. Felger rescues SG-1 from a Goa’uld mothership. GateWorld entry
2005
Apple Computer releases the Mighty Mouse for Macintosh computers, featuring a 360-degree scroll ball and four programmable buttons. It is the first multi-button mouse sold with a Mac since the Apple Lisa, twenty-two years earlier. Price: US$49
EnterNetica releases version 1.0 of VolumePhoto SE, a software suite for the creation and editing of panoramic photographs, for Windows XP. Visit the application’s official website.
G.Rev releases the fighter/shooter hybrid WarTech: Senko No Ronde for the Xbox 360 in Japan.
Konami releases Shaman King: Master of Spirits 2 for the Game Boy Advance in the US. The game is based of the popular anime series Shamen King.
Ubisoft releases the The Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike is a stand-alone expansion pack for Ghost Recon 2 exclusively for the Xbox. The expansion pack includes eleven new single-player missions, new weapons, and an expanded multiplayer game.
2006
Astraware releases Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars for Windows Mobile devices.
The Sci Fi Channel’s original television series Eureka premieres in the UK and Ireland on Sky One under the title A Town Called Eureka. The series made its world premiere in the US on July 18th. Visit the series’ official website. IMDB listing
Version 9.01 of the Opera web browser is released. This version resolves bugs introduced by the Opera 9 release and makes IMAP and NTLM improvements.
Ziff Davis and Microsoft jointly announced that Computer Gaming World magazine will be discontinued in November after 269 issues and replaced by Games for Windows: The Official Magazine. Visit the magazine’s official website.
2007
Nintendo releases Big Brain Academy for the Nintendo DS and Wii in South Korea.
Nintendo releases Endless Ocean for the Wii in Japan.
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