1884
The first volume of the Oxford English Dictionary, A-Ant, is published.
1893
Thomas Alva Edison completes the construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey.
1911
Thomas Jennings is convicted of killing Clarence B. Hiller by the Criminal Court of Cook County using fingerprint evidence for the first time in the US. On December 21, the Illionis Supreme Court will uphold the admissibility of the evidence. On February 16, 1912 Jennings will be executed.
1946
At a press conference, University of Pennsylvania announces the development of ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator).
1949
Radio Corporation of America (RCA) releases the first single record ever (45 rpm). The release comes in response to the rising popularity of Columbia Record’s 33 1/3 long play records.
The two hundred inch (5.08m) Hale telescope is first used.
1951
Television station KTLA in Los Angeles, California broadcasts the first atomic explosion seen by the general public. The event was captured by an NBC camera from Mount Wilson, three hundred miles from the site of the test blast at Frenchman Flats, Nevada.
1959
Texas Instruments (TI) is issued a patent for the integrated circuit.
1972
Hewlett-Packard releases the first scientific hand-held calculator, the HP-35. Price: US$395.
1973
The International Business Machines (IBM) Data Processing Division releases the OS/VS2 Release 2, a control program that allows users to interconnect virtual storage systems, IBM System/370 Model 158 and Model 168 MP multiprocessors, five new versions of the System/370 Model 145, and the IBM 3704 communications controller. Visit the official IBM website.
1981
Apple Computer President Mike Scott writes an internal memo, with an attached note reading, “The document describes the goal of a typewriter-less company. It also commands Ken to get rid of his DEC word processor ASAP! We believe the typewriter is obsolete. Let’s prove it inside before we try and convince our customers.” The memo outlines Apple’s new policy of being a typewriter-free company. The move comes as part of an overall marketing campaign against the typewriter, the single greatest obstacle to the Apple II.
The International Business Machines (IBM) Data Processing Division (DPD) releases the Professional Office System (PROFS), IBM’s first office software, which It includes desktop-to-desktop email.
1982
Intel releases the Intel 80286 processor, featuring clock speeds of up to 20MHz, a new “protected mode” of operation, which allows access to 16MB of memory, a 16 bit bus, and 134,000 transistors.
1988
The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “11001001” first airs. (No. 115) In it, the Bynars come aboard to upgrade the Enterprise’s computers as Riker and Picard try out the newly enhanced holodeck. Memory Alpha entry
1989
Atari files a lawsuit alleging violations of anti-trust laws against Nintendo for US$250 million. The charges are precipitated by Nintendo’s licensing agreements, which prevents licensees from releasing game titles for competing video game platforms within two years of releasing it for the Nintendo.
1990
Craig Neidorf, known by the web handle Knight Lightning, is indicted by a grand jury on six counts, including computer fraud, transportation of stolen property valued at over $5,000, and wire fraud.
1991
Game developer id Software is founded. Visit the official id Software website.
James Gosling, Patrick Naughton, and Mike Sheridan, of Sun Microsystems begin developing Java. Gosling work on the programming concepts, Naughton on the graphics system, and Sheridan works the business end. Visit the official Java website.
1993
The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Aquiel” first airs. (No.613) In it, Geordi falls for another officer who is under investigation for murder. Memory Alpha entry
1996
Nintendo announces additional delays to the launch of Nintendo 64. The new release date is Monday, September 30, 1996. Visit the official Nintendo website.
Texas Instruments (TI) Japan Ltd. and Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. announces an agreement to jointly develop a system of two speaker, theater-like surround sound with the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) chip.
The US Congress passes the Communications Decency Act (CDA). The bill is Congress’s first serious attempt to regulate the pornographic content of the Internet. However, in 1997, the US Supreme Court will overturned the law.
1998
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) releases the fighting game Bushido Blade for the PlayStation in PAL regions. Visit the game’s official website.
The website of Netbank is anonymously hacked.
1999
America Online (AOL) announces that it will acquire Moviefone the largest movie listing and ticket sales service in the US. Visit the the official Moviefone website.
International Business Machines (IBM) introduces the RS/6000 SP supercomputer, featuring a POWER3 microprocessor which can perform up to two billion operations per second. Price: US$56,160
Microsoft announces a new version of the Windows CE, with additional support for color displays. Visit the official Windows CE website.
The website of the American Conservative Union is hacked by “Diablo”.
The website of the United States Navy Recruiting Command is hacked by “Diablo”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
William Morrow publishes the fantasy novel Stardust by Neil Gaiman as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0380977281) Length: 256 pages Visit the author’s official website.
2000
Del Rey publishes the science fiction novel Down to Earth by Harry Turtledove as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0345430204) It is the second book in the colonization series. Visit the author’s official website. Length: 496 pages
2001
Hackers later identifying themselves as the “Virtual Monkeywrench” steal the personal data, including names, cell phone numbers, home phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and information concerning passports, of twenty-seven thousand attendants of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. Fourteen thousand credit card numbers are also stolen along with their corresponding names. Notable victims include former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and US President Bill Clinton. The security breach won’t be revealed until the hackers, a group of anti-globalization protesters, send the data to the Swiss weekly newspaper SonntagsZeitung.
2003
Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere after twenty-two years in service, killing all seven astronauts aboard, including Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William McCool, Mike Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Lauren Clark, and Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut in space.
Tor releases the science fiction novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0765304368) The book is notable because Doctorow released the novel under a Creative Commons license online available for free. It will be nominated for a Nebula Award in 2004. Length: 208 pages Visit the author’s official website.
2005
The 4INFO mobile search engine in publicly released. Visit the official 4INFO website.
2008
Microsoft makes an unsolicited US$44.7 billion bid to acquire search giant Yahoo! in an attempt to compete with Google. The offer will be rejected on February 10, on May 3, Microsoft will withdraw its offer.
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