1596
David Fabricius discovers the first variable star, Mira, when he observes the variations in the star’s light.
1897
Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the world’s first movie camera.
1903
The New York World newspaper runs an article on Thomas Edison’s opinions on Radium and X-rays that begins on the front page. The article is entitled, “Edison Fears Hidden Perils of the X-rays.” In the article, Edison describes the injuries his laboratory employee, Clarence Dally, incurred during his research into Radium. Dally had an arm and hand amputated to remove the cancer caused by exposure to X-rays. Edison also felt that viewing the element with his own X-ray fluoroscope had harmed his eyesight two years earlier. When the focus of his left eye was disturbed he abandoned research on X-rays. Edison is quoted as saying, “I am afraid of radium and polonium too, and I don’t want to monkey with them.” Edison goes on to say, “I have had several pieces of it from Mme. Curie in Paris, and I have experimented with it. I do not see its commercial utility, but it opens up a great field of thought and scientific research. It overturns all the old theories of force and energy… I have a peculiar theory about radium, and I believe it is the correct one. I believe that there is some mysterious ray pervading the universe that is fluorescing to it. In other words, that all its energy is not self-constructed but that there is a mysterious something in the atmosphere that scientists have not found that is drawing out those infinitesimal atoms and distributing them forcefully and indestructibly.”
1908
A nearly complete, buried, skeleton of a Neanderthal is discovered in a cave at La Chapelle-aux-Saints, France. It will be examined by Marcellin Boule, who will overlook its arthritic condition and published a description that characterized the Neanderthal as a shuffling, bent-kneed, and hairy creature capable only of “rudimentary intellectual abilities.” The description will become a stereotype, until it is corrected in the fifties. The species is named after the Neander Valley in Germany, where the earliest discovery of the species was made in August 1856.
1958
The nuclear submarine USS Nautilus, becomes the first submarine to travel beneath the Arctic ice cap to the North Pole. The Nautilus is the first atomic-powered submarine in the United States Navy. Attempts earlier in the year failed due to the ice-pack conditions. The crew will create a post office while underneath the North Pole and use a home-made North Pole Stamp canceled their letters. The Post Master General will later declare it to be a legal post office.
1960
Bell Laboratories scientists have a coast-to-coast telephone conversation by “bouncing” their voices off the moon.
1977
At the Warwick Hotel in New York City, Lewis Kornfeld, president of Radio Shack, a division of Tandy Corporation, announces the TRS-80 (”Trash-80″) Model I microcomputer. The TRS-80, which is the first desktop computer, is based on the Z-80 8-bit microprocessor manufactured by Zilog, which cost Tandy less than US$150,000 to develop. It features 4KB RAM, expandable to 16K RAM, a 4KB ROM, expandable to 12K ROM, a 53-key keyboard, a twelve inch RCA video display, a Realistic CTR-41 cassette-based data recorder, a built-in BASIC interpreter, BlackJack and Backgammon. The computer uses the TRSDOS and CP/M operating systems. Several other programs are available for the system, including: the 12 Employees payroll application ($19.95), the Math I educational application ($19.95), and the Personal Finance finance application ($14.95). Over ten thousand orders will be taken for the system within the first month of its release. Price: Full System: US$599.95 Microcomputer: US$399.95 Monitor: US$199.95 Cassette Drive: US$49.95
1990
Capcom releases the platform game Street Fighter 2010 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in Japan.
Konami releases Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan for the Game Boy. The game is based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated television series.
1993
The Fear and Loathing BBS out of Birmingham, Alabama is raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for pirating Novell and Quarterdeck products.
1996
Apple Computer discontinues production of the PowerBook 5300 line of laptop just short of one year after it’s release on August 25, 1995. The PowerBook 5300 featured a PowerPC 603e processor and 8MiB (expandable to 64 MiB) DRAM. Price: US$2,300 – US$6,800
1998
Apple Computer begins accepting orders for the new iMac that will hit shelves Saturday, August 15.
Sega Enterprises takes control of Sega’s coin-op sales division from Sega Gameworks, claiming that the move will not affect its operations or require layoffs.
The website of Polygenesis is hacked by “JiG-SaW”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
1999
Yahoo! launches the Yahoo! Briefcase online file storage services.
2000
The European Union (EU) opens an antitrust case against Microsoft for allegedly abusing its market position in computer operating systems software, after Sun Microsystems filed a complaint in 1998 with the European Commission alleging that “Microsoft breached EU antitrust rules by engaging in discriminatory licensing and by refusing to supply essential information on its Windows operating system.”
Koei releases the fighting game Dynasty Warriors 2 as Shin (True) Sangokumusou for the PlayStation 2 in Japan.
Sega releases the role-playing game Grandia II for the Dreamcast in Japan.
2001
Capcom releases the roleplaying game Breath of Fire IV for the PlayStation in Europe. The game follows the adventures of a young man named Ryu, heir to a lost civilization’s ability to transform into powerful dragons, who must team up with several other skilled warriors to combat an awakened immortal emperor from ascending to godhood and destroying the world of man. ESRB: T (Teen) ELSPA: 11+ OFLC: G8+
GameStop begins accepting pre-orders for bundled versions of Microsoft’s Xbox game system at prices ranging from US$599.91 to US$1,199.78.
The PCI-SIG group votes unanimously to adopt Intel’s proposed 3GIO or “Arapahoe” specification to replace the PCI system bus in personal computers. The technology is expected to be six times faster than the current version of PCI. The specification will be adopted as “PCI 3.0″ in 2002, with the earliest computers available by mid-2003, and industry-wide adoption projected for 2004.
The Stargate SG-1 episode “Rite of Passage” first airs. (No. 506) In it, Dr. Frasier’s adopted daughter, Cassandra, develops telekinetic abilities, but the strain of producing so much energy is causing multiple organ failure. SG-1 must make a deal with a forgotten enemy in order to save her at a terrible price. GateWorld entry
THQ releases the roleplaying game (RPG) Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage for the Nintendo 64 in Europe. It is one of the few RPGs released for the N64. Several sequels to the games are planned, but the projects will be dropped after The First Mage sales fail to meet sales expectations. ESRB: Teen (T)
2004
id Software releases the first-person shooter (FPS) Doom 3 for Windows in the US. Despite its name, is not a direct continuation of the original Doom series storyline, but rather a re imagining of the first game in the series, with the addition of a completely new game engine and graphics. ESRB: M (Mature)
The fantasy novel Blood Rites by Jim Butcher is released in paperback. (ISBN 0-4514-5987-3) The book is the sixth in the The Dresden Files series. Visit Jim Butcher’s official website.
SCi releases Galleon for the Xbox in North America. Toby Gard, one of the original designers of Lara Croft, left Eidos shortly after developing the first Tomb Raider game was released. Galleon was to be his first independent title following the original Tomb Raider. Unfortunately, Galleon’s release was delayed, and the game had to be ported to game systems which it hadn’t been designed for, the Microsoft Xbox. While its design remained innovative, Galleon’s graphics are far from cutting edge compared to competing games design specifically for the Xbox. ESRB: Teen (13+)
Tataye releases version 2.07 of the Beast Trojan, a windows based backdoor trojan horse, as freeware.
2005
The Mozilla Corporation is established to handle the revenue-related operations of the Mozilla Foundation. As a non-profit, the Mozilla Foundation is limited in terms of the types and amounts of revenue. Upon its creation, the Mozilla Corporation took over several areas from the Mozilla Foundation, including coordination and integration of the development of Firefox and Thunderbird and the management of relationships with businesses.
2006
Capcom releases the platform game Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins for the PSP in Japan. CERO: A (All ages)
2007
D3 Publisher releases the puzzle game PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient 2 for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Europe. The game is based on a method of testing human intelligence developed by Dr. Masuo Koyasu of Kyoto University. PEGI: 3+
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