1831
English navigator and explorer James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole on the Boothia Peninsula in the northern Canada while exploring the Arctic.
1869
Thomas A. Edison of Boston, Massachusetts, is granted his first patent for an “electrographic vote recorder.” (US No. 90,646) The device will enable legislators to register their votes for or against an issue by dialing a switch to the left or right. Before his death, Edison will hold 1,093 US patents, becoming widely known as one of the most prolific inventors in history.
1880
The Connecticut Telephone Company installs the first public pay telephone booth in the United States at its offices in New Haven. To use the phone, customers need to pay a toll to the phone’s attendant.
1886
Thomas A. Edison is issued a patent for a “System of Electrical Distribution.” (US No. 343,017)
1938
Issue number one of Action Comics is released by National Allied Publications, which will later become DC Comics. The issue is the first comic book to feature Superman, the character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
1957
The Kashio brothers found Casio Computer Co., Ltd. to manufacture relay calculators and the company’s first calculator, the Casio 14-A. Visit the official Casio website.
1961
FM stereo broadcasts begin in the United States under the authorization of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), beginning with radio stations WEFM in Chicago, Illinois and WGFM in Schenectady, New York.
1965
Arno Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson detect a three degree kelvin primordial background radiation using a horn reflector antenna built for radio astronomy. The Big Bang description of the origin of the universe took place 15 to 20 billion years ago in an explosion from a hot dense state. The high energy radiation produced when the universe was very young and very hot would have been absorbed and degraded as the universe expanded and cooled. The microwave background radiation first observed by Penzias and Wilson is thought to be a relic of this very early state, when the universe was only about a million years old. The uniformity of microwave background indicates that the universe was homogeneous until it was a few million years old.
1970
Soyuz 9 is launched into Earth orbit on a mission to investigate the long-terms effects of weightlessness on crew member.
1979
Intel introduces the 4.77MHz 8088 microprocessor, featuring 16-bit registers and an 8-bit external data bus. It contains twenty-nine thousand transistors using 3-micron technology, and it is able to directly address 1 MB of memory.
1981
Imagic, a third-party developer of Atari 2600 games, is formed by Rob Fulop, William Grubb and other former executives and programmers of Atari and Mattel Electronics.
1982
JVC unveils the VHS-C compact videocassette format at the Playboy Club in New York just prior to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Chicago. Visit the official JVC website.
1983
Atari announces a consolidation of its home computer and video game divisions. Visit the official Atari website.
1984
Paramount Pictures releases the science fiction film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, directed by Leonard Nimoy and starring William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Grace Lee Whitney, and Mark Lenard, to 1,966 US theaters. Produced on a budget of US$17 million, it will gross US$16,673,295 domestically in its opening weekend. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: PG Running Time: 1 hr 45 mins
1986
The Summer Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is held in Chicago, Illinois. Visit the event’s official website.
1987
Ace Hardcover releases the science fiction novel Way Of Pilgrim by Gordon R. Dickson as a hardcover. (ISBN-13: 978-0441874866) Length: 341 pages
1990
TriStar Pictures releases the science fiction film Total Recall, directed by Paul Verhoeven“>Paul Verhoeven and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Rachel Ticotin, and Ronny Cox, to 2,060 US theaters. The film is based on the Phillip K Dick story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale“. At the time of its production, the budget of the film was the largest ever authorized by a Hollywood Studio. Produced on a budget of US$65 million, it will gross US$25,533,700 domestically in its opening weekend. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 1 hr 53 mins
1991
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, Illinois, Nintendo introduces the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The 16-bit video game system will make use of new game cartridges and compact discs using a drive co-developed with Philips N.V. The company predicted that the system will be available in September.
1992
The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Inner Light” first airs. (No. 525) In it, a mysterious space probe pulls Picard into another life. Memory Alpha entry
1993
Nintendo releases Mario’s Early Years: Fun with Letters for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in North America. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Nintendo releases Mario’s Early Years: Preschool Fun for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in North America. ESRB: E (Everyone)
US District Court Judge Vaughn Walker rules against Apple Computer in the lawsuit the company brought against Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Microsoft alleging copyright infringement, Apple Inc. v. Microsoft Corporation. The judge rules that ninety percent of the elements in the Windows graphical user interface (GUI) are covered by the license purchased from Apple Computer in 1985. Apple Computer will later files an appeal.
1994
Atlus releases the puzzle game Pieces for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in North America.
Apogee Software releases the side-scrolling platform game Hocus Pocus for MS-DOS. Visit the game’s official website. OFLC: G8+
Sunsoft releases The Death and Return of Superman for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The game is based on the DC Comics Death of Superman storyline.
1995
American video game developer Maxis, best known for the popular SimCity video game, goes public.
1996
Tor Books publishes the fantasy novel A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan as a hardcover. (ISBN-13: 978-0312857677) It is the seventh book in The Wheel of Time series. Visit the author’s official website. Length: 720 pages
1998
Nintendo releases the Game Boy Camera in the US. Price is US$49.95
Nintendo releases the Game Boy Printer in the US. Price is US$59.95
Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) releases the third-person shooter Armored Core for the PlayStation in Europe.
1999
The 3DO Company releases the turn-based strategy game Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia for Windows in the US. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Apple Computer releases the Power Macintosh G3/350, /400, and /450 computers, with updated PowerPC G3 processors. All of the systems include Mac OS 8.6.
Nintendo releases the Pokémon Pinball video game for the Game Boy Color in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everyone)
The website of Aftenposten is hacked by “tobby, bones & convex”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
The website of Brookhaven National Labs is hacked by “The Posse”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
2000
The Brazilian website of the Fundacao Instituto Brasileiro De Geografia (IBGE), which was run on a Windows NT server, is hacked by “Mr. Analista”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
Interplay Entertainment releases Evolva for Windows. ESRB: T (Teen)
The Patent Law Treaty (PLT) is signed by fifty-three States and the European Patent Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland. The treaty’s purpose is to harmonize the procedures involved in filing a patent in the signatory nations. Visit the treaty’s official website.
2001
Sega releases the racing game Crazy Taxi for the PlayStation 2 in Europe. ELSPA: 3+
2002
The Czech Republic becomes the first nation to pass a national law prohibiting “light pollution,” or excess outdoor light. The law, which was lobbied by the nation’s astronomers, requires outdoor light fixtures to be shielded against leakage above the horizontal plain.
2003
Sega releases Sonic Pinball Party for the Game Boy Advance in the US. ESRB: E (Everyone)
2004
THQ releases the real-time tactics game Full Spectrum Warrior for the Xbox in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: M (Mature)
Vivendi Universal Games releases The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay for the Xbox in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: M (Mature)
Vivendi Universal Games releases the platform game Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto’s Rampage for the Game Boy Advance in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everyone)
2006
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) releases the motorcycle racing game Tourist Trophy for the PlayStation 2 in Australia. Visit the game’s official website.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) releases the racing game Gran Turismo 4 Online for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. Visit the game’s official website. CERO: A (All Ages)
Ubuntu Foundation first releases the Xubuntu operating system. Xubuntu is an derivative of the Ubuntu Linux distribution specifically designed for antiquated system with less processing power. Visit the official Xubuntu website..
Valve Corporation releases the first-person shooter (FPS) Half-Life 2: Episode One for Windows, the PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: M (Mature)
2007
Codemasters releases Heatseeker for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Australia. OFLC: PG
Fox Searchlight Pictures releases the fantasy film Day Watch, directed by Timur Bekmambetov and starring Konstantin Khabensky, Aleksei Chadov, Gosha Kutsenko, Igor Lifanov, Zhanna Friske, to 5 US theaters in a limited release. The film was originally released in Russia on January 1, 2006. Produced on a budget of US$4.2 million, it will gross US$46,730 domestically in its opening weekend. Visit this film’s official website. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 2 hrs 12 mins
Nintendo releases the platform game Wario: Master of Disguise for the Nintendo DS in Europe. Visit the game’s official website.
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