1862
Telescope maker Alvin Clark discovers the dwarf star which is the companion of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.
1893
Thomas Alva Edison is issued two patents. (US No. 490,953 -4) The first patent is described as the “Art of Generating Electricity” for a cell made with positive and negative electrodes in a heated chamber containing dry chemicals which are sufficiently exhausted for the gases generated to become good electrical conductors. The second patent is described as the “Manufacture of Carbon Filaments for Electric Lamps.” In it, Edison describes the process of heating vegetable fibers, such as bamboo, in a furnace until the fibers are carbonized, before soaking them in a sugar syrup to fill the material’s pores before reheating them until they are wholly carbonized. This process is fundamental to the creation of incandescent bulbs.
1930
The 3M Company first begins to market Scotch Tape. Visit the official 3M website.
1936
The Green Hornet premieres on radio station WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan, the same station that produces The Lone Ranger. The radio program will later spawn a television and comics series. Visit the official website of The Green Hornet franchise.
1940
The United States Social Security Board issues its first check to Ida May Fuller, age 65, of Vermont. The check, number 00-000-001, is for US$22.54. The US Social Security, which is characterized as “the largest bookkeeping operation in the history of the world” is made possible by a series of computers custom built for the purpose by International Business Machines (IBM) which track of the twenty-six million people participating in the government program with hundreds of millions of punch cards. The paper punch cards were so numerous that, there is “no building in Washington had floors sturdy enough” to hold them all. Another problem will soon presented itself. Individual paper punch cards have a very limited capacity for storing data. However, in 1955, just as the punch cards will approach their capacity for the first generations of social security recipients, they will be replaced by IBM’s first general-purpose computer. Read a history of the Social Security Administration’s use of punch cards and IBM machines.
1950
United States President Harry S. Truman announces the existence of the program to develop the American hydrogen bomb (H-Bomb) in a public address. “I have directed … work on all forms of atomic weapons, including the so called hydrogen or superbomb. Like all other work in the field of atomic weapons, it is being and will be carried forward on a basis consistent with the overall objectives of our program for peace and security … until a satisfactory plan for international control of atomic energy is achieved. We shall also continue to examine all those factors that affect our program for peace and this country, security.” The announcement comes in response to the growing public concern over Truman’s earlier announcement on September 23, 1949 in which he disclosed that, “We have evidence that within recent weeks an atomic explosion occurred in the USSR.”
1958
Explorer 1, the first U.S. Earth-orbiting satellite, is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard an Army Jupiter-C rocket. Explorer 1 will orbit the Earth every 115 minutes. The launch comes four months after the Soviet launch of Sputnik. Its orbit will carry it from an orbit of about 220 miles to an orbit of nearly 1,600 miles. Explorer 1 measured cosmic radiation and led to the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belt.
1961
NASA launches a four year old male chimpanzee named Ham on a Mercury-Redstone 2 rocket into suborbital flight to test the Mercury capsule. During the capsule’s 16.5 minute suborbital flight, Ham experiences seven minutes of weightlessness, a peak altitude of one hundred eight miles, and a top speed of thirteen thousand miles per hour. During the mission, Ham performs some simple tasks, including pulling levers in response to the activation of a light to receive banana pellets. Three months after Ham’s successful flight and safe recovery, NASA will launch the first Mercury astronaut, Alan Shepard, into sub-orbital flight. Visit the NASA website for the Mercury Project.
1966
The USSR lunar soft lander, Luna 9, is launched. On February 3, Luna will land and become the first spacecraft to return the photographs from the surface of the Moon.
1969
The Star Trek episode “The Lights of Zetar” first airs. (No. 73) In it, an energy-based alien life form threatens the Enterprise and Memory Alpha space station. Memory Alpha entry
1971
NASA launches the manned US lunar lander Apollo 14 on a mission to the Fra Mauro region of the Moon. The crew will land on February 5, 1971 and collect 42.9 kilograms of lunar samples, completing the aborted mission of the Apollo 13. The crew consists of Commander Alan Shepard, Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa, and Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell.
1983
Atari announces that Marcian Hoff, inventor of the microprocessor, is joining the company as vice president of research and development.
Texas Instruments (TI) introduces the TI Professional Computer, featuring an Intel 8088 processor, 64KB RAM, dual 320KB floppy drives, and 720×300 graphics with optional 8-color mode. Price: US$2,195
1984
Apple Computer is reorganized into three divisions: Accessory Products, Apple II, and Apple 32. Visit the official website of Apple Computer.
Commodore International announces that it will delay shipping its Commodore 264 and 364 computers, due to a persistent and steady for the Commodore 64. Read more about the history of the Commodore 64.
Release 4 of the Infocom interactive fiction game Sorcerer is published for personal computers. It is Infocom’s eleventh game.
1990
The first McDonald’s in Russia opens in Moscow. Visit the official McDonald’s website.
The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Sub Rosa” first airs. (No. 714) In it, Crusher attends her grandmother’s funeral, where she discovers the truth about a long held family tradition. Memory Alpha entry
1995
AT&T Bell Laboratories and VLSI Technology announce plans to jointly develop strategies for protecting communications devices from eavesdroppers with the goal of securing cellular phone lines and Internet transmissions by means of a security chip.
Knopf publishes the nonfiction novel Being Digital by Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0679439196) The book an an edited compilation of eighteen articles which originally appeared in Wired magazine. Length: 256 pages
1996
Corel acquires the WordPerfect Office office suite along with Quattro Pro and WordPerfect from Novell for US$180 million in cash and stocks. Visit the official Corel website.
Netscape Communications announces an agreement to acquire InSoft, Inc., a developer of network communications and collaboration applications. Visit the official Netscape website.
1997
Apple Computer reveals that they intend to make further cuts in the company’s workforce in its continuing struggle to turn a profit. Visit the official website of Apple Computer.
At least eighteen domains are hacked by “inhale”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
At least eighteen domains are hacked by “Newport”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
The digitally enhanced Star Wars Special Edition opens in 2,104 theaters. In its opening weekend, the film will domestically gross over US$36.2 million dollars.
France officially abandons the use of Morse code for maritime radio communications with one final sign off. “Calling all. This is our last cry before our eternal silence.”
Hewlett-Packard (HP) announces the HP 200LX handheld computer, featuring 4MB RAM. Price: US$599
Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) releases the puzzle game Intelligent Qube for the PlayStation in Japan.
Square releases Final Fantasy VII video game for the PlayStation in Japan. Visit the game’s official website.
TalonSoft releases the tun-based strategy game Battleground 4: Shiloh for Windows.
The website of China Agricultural University is hacked by “A #HaCkPhR3Ak PhFool”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
The website of Craig Enterprises is hacked by “FTH”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
1998
LucasArts releases the expansion to the first person shooter (FPS) Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith, for Windows. ESRB: T (Teen)
The website of The Branson School is hacked by “Xenion”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
The website of Calgary Unix Users Group is hacked by “sreality & th4 #pascal crew” for the second time in two days. View an archived version of the defaced website.
The website of Global Publishing Group is hacked by “Xenion”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
The website of Texas A&M University’s Commerce Department is hacked by “Xenion”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
The website of Webbnet is hacked by “Xenion”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
1999
Electronic Arts releases the turn-based strategy game Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri for Windows in the US. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Konami releases the survival horror game Silent Hill for the PlayStation in North America. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: M (Mature)
The website of the Electric Frontier Foundation is hacked by “OySTr n KLaM”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
2000
Activision releases the Disney’s Tarzan video game for the Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64“>Nintendo 64 in the US.
Capcom releases the versus fighting game Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes for the PlayStation in Europe and the US. ESRB: T (Teen)
Electronic Arts releases the fantasy game Nox for Windows. ELSPA: 15+ ESRB: T (Teen)
Jaleco releases the survival horror game Carrier for the Dreamcast in North America. The game is notable for being fully 3D. ESRB: M (Mature)
2001
Sega releases the game compilation Sega Smash Pack Volume 1 for the Dreamcast. The games included in the compilation include: Altered Beast, Columns, Golden Axe, Phantasy Star II, Revenge of Shinobi, Sega Swirl, Shining Force, Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage 2, Vectorman, Virtua Cop 2, and Wrestle War.
2002
Enix releases the roleplaying game (RPG) Grandia Xtreme for the PlayStation 2 in Japan.
2003
THQ releases the roleplaying game (RPG) Summoner 2 for the GameCube in North America. ESRB: T (Teen)
2005
The Stargate Atlantis episode “The Siege (Part 2)” first airs. (No. 120) In it, the SGC dispatches the battleship Daedalus to Atlantis in response to the city’s distress signal, but the team will need to hold out four more days before it arrives. GateWorld entry
Sun Microsystems releases the Solaris 10 operating system, featuring support for AMD64 and EM64T processors. Visit the official Solaris website.
2006
Capcom releases the platform game Mega Man Maverick Hunter X for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in North America. ESRB: E10+ (Everyone)
Microsoft releases a public preview build of Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP Service Pack 2. Visit the official Internet Explorer website.
2007
Cingular Wireless, Priceline.com, and Travelocity.com agree to pay fines between US$30,000 and US$35,000 each to settle a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for advertising through DirectRevenue, a company which targets consumers with illegal adware. The groundbreaking settlement sets a legal precedent for holding companies liable “when their ads end up on consumers’ computers without full notice and consent,” according to Cuomo.
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