The Great Geek Manual

1867
Joseph Lister publishes an article on his discovery of antiseptic surgery in the medical journal The Lancet. The article is the first of a series in which Lister applies Pasteur’s theory that the micro-organisms which cause gangrene might be inhibited chemically. In the articles, he details his successful use of phenol (carbolic acid) on medical instruments, surgical incisions, and wound dressings to reduce infections.

1919
The wireless telephone is invented, enabling pilots to communicate in flight.

1926
Robert Goddard launches the first US liquid-fuel rocket in a field in Auburn, Massachusetts. The rocket is an experimental model of Goddard’s own design which places the rocket ahead of its fuel tank, shielded from flame by a metal cone. The design is intended to provide the rocket with greater stability, but it failed to function as it was intended to.

1942
The first V-2 rocket is tested, but it explodes on liftoff. A V-2 will eventually become the first man-made object to make a sub-orbital spaceflight.

1962
A Titan 2 rocket is first launched.

1966
NASA launches the Gemini 8 at 10:41am EST. Shortly after its launch, it will take part in the first physical docking of two spacecraft in orbit when it rendezvous with the Gemini Agena to conduct extravehicular activities six hours and thirty-three minutes after launch. However, about twenty-seven minutes after docking, a malfunction in the capsule’s control thrusters occurs, and it is forced to abort the mission and return to Earth at 10:23pm EST, only 6.5 orbits after launch. The mission is crewed by command pilot Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong and pilot Astronaut David R. Scott. It is the twelfth manned American space mission.

1967
The Star Trek episode “Errand of Mercy” first airs. (No. 26) In it, Kirk and Spock attempt to protect the planet Organia from the Klingon and sway them to the side of the Federation, but they aren’t welcome. Memory Alpha entry

1975
The NASA robotic space probe Mariner 10 makes its third and final pass of the planet Mercury. Read more about the voyage of the Mariner 10 at NASA’s official site for the mission. View an archive of images returned by the Mariner 10.

1978
The Soviet Soyuz 26 returns to Earth from the first mission to successfully dock with the Salyut 6 space station.

1984
The Russian satellite Ekran 12 is launched. Ekran 12 is a geostationary satellite developed for a national system of Direct-to-Home television. The first satellite of the Ekran series was launched in 1976. Each satellite provides one television and two radio channels to cable systems across the USSR and to individual residences in northern Siberia. Visit the official website of the Ekran satellites.

1987
The Monday, March 16 issue of Fortune magazine features an article entitled, “The house that Jack built.” In it, Sam Tramiel appears in a picture with an Atari game system captioned, “Atari president Sam Tramiel is shooting for sales of $1 billion by 1990.”

1990
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announces that it will extend its network to Europe over a high-speed data link. Visit the official NSF website.

1993
Del Rey releases the science fiction novel The Spoils of War by Alan Dean Foster as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0345358570) It is the third book in The Damned trilogy. Length: 281 pages

1995
Acclaim releases the versus fighting game Mortal Kombat II for personal computers in the US. Visit the game’s official website.

1997
The WELL is hacked. Passwords are stolen, files are deleted, and trojans are planted on the server. The WELL is one of the internet’s oldest virtual communities. Visit the official WELL website.

1999
Apple Computer releases Mac OS X Server 1.0 and a preview version of Mac OS X for developers. Server 1.0 is the first operating system released by Apple to be based on NeXT. Visit the official Mac OS X Server website.

The Samsung Electronics Company announces that they have begun producing a 256Mb synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM) chips. The company projects sales of between two and three million units in the first year. Visit the official Samsung website.

Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) releases the fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) EverQuest for personal computers in the US. ESRB: T (Teen)

2000
Palm announces that it has established a company to market its handheld computers and operating system in a Japan. Visit the official Palm website.

Tor Books publishes the fantasy novel The Kingless Land by Ed Greenwood as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0312867212) Length: 320 pages

2004
Atari releases the first-person shooter (FPS) Unreal Tournament 2004 for personal computers in the US. ESRB: M (Mature)

Atari releases the first-person shooter (FPS) Dead Man’s Hand for personal computers in North America. ESRB: T (Teen)

2005
Hitachi unveils the humanoid robot EMIEW (Excellent Mobility and Interactive Existence as Workmate) to compete with Honda’s ASIMO and Sony’s QRIO. The robot, which, unlike it’s competitors, is equipped with wheels rather, is “the world’s quickest-moving robot,” with a top speed of 3.7 miles per hour (6km/h). Hitachi claims that the robots could be “trained” for practical use in factories and offices in as little as five years. Read more at the BBC. Visit the official EMIEW website.

Koei releases Dynasty Warriors for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in North America. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)

2006
Square Enix releases Final Fantasy XII for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. Visit the game’s official website. CERO: A (All Ages)

2007
Activision releases the fishing game Rapala Tournament Fishing for the Wii and Xbox 360 in Europe.

Activision releases the card game World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions for the Wii in Europe.

EA Sports BIG releases the snowboarding game SSX Blur for the Wii in Europe. Visit the game’s official website.

Koei releases the Samurai Warriors 2 Empires expansion for the Samurai Warriors 2 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 in Europe. Visit the game’s official website. PEGI: 12+

Midway Games releases The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy for the Wii in Europe. It is based on the animated television series of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. Visit the game’s official website. BBFC: 12