1800
In a letter, Alessandro Volta announces his invention of the voltaic pile, the earliest battery, to Sir Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society in London, England.
1886
America’s first demonstration of
An alternating-current (AC) electrical system is demonstrated by lighting Main Street in Great Barrington, Massachusetts with electricity generated by the power planet of George Westinghouse.
1900
Nikola Tesla receives a patent for the wireless transmission of electric power. (US No. 645,576)
1916
Albert Einstein publishes an academic paper on his Theory of General Relativity entitled “Die Grundlagen der allgemeinen Relativitästheorie” in the journal Annalen der Physik. Einstein’s theory accounts for the slow rotation of the elliptical orbit of Mercury, which Newtonian gravitational theory failed to explain.
1934
The first practical radar system is tested by Rudolf Kuhnold, Chief of the German Navy Signals Research Department, in Kiel Harbour, Germany. The systems uses a 700-watt transmitter on a frequency of 600 megacycles. During the test, the system successfully receives echoes off the battleship Hesse, 600 yards away. Read more about the history of the Radar.
1964
The precursor of the European Space Agency, the European Space Research Organization (ESRO) is established per an agreement signed on June 14, 1962.
1977
JVC launches its VHS video format by running a two-page advertisement in the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun.
1989
The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Contagion” first airs. (No. 211) In it, the Enterprise and a Romulan vessel are infected by a virus that destory another Federation ship. Memory Alpha entry
1994
The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Profit and Loss” first airs. (No. 218) In it, Quark’s old flame returns to the station, but he discovers that she no long harbors any feelings for him. Memory Alpha entry
1995
Nintendo releases the platform game Kirby’s Dream Land 2 for the Game Boy in Japan.
In San Francisco, California, the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) is held over three days. Visit the official WinHEC website.
In Tokyo, Japan twelve people are killed and more than thirteen hundred others sickened when packages containing Sarin gas are released on five separate subway trains by Aum Shinrikyo cult members.
1997
Apple Computer releases the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh (TAM) to commemorate the company’s twentieth anniversary. The system features a 250MHz PowerPC 603e, a 256KB Level-2 Cache, 32MB – 128MB RAM, 2MB VRAM, a 2GB hard drive, a 1.4MB floppy drive, a 4x CD-ROM drive, an FM radio tuner, and the Mac OS 9.1 operating system. The system is the first Apple desktop to feature a track pad, the first Apple desktop with a flat screen, the first Apple PowerPC desktop to diverge from the beige tower design, and the first Apple to feature a vertical CD drive. Only twelve thousand of the systems will be produced. Browse a gallery of photos of the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh. Price: US$7,499
Capcom releases the racing game Mega Man Battle & Chase for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and Wii in Japan.
Konami releases Castlevania: Symphony of the Night as Akumajo Dracula X: Gekka no Yasokyoku for PlayStation in Japan. CERO: 12+
Sega releases the game compilation Sonic & Knuckles Collection for personal computers in Europe and the US. ESRB: K-A (Kids to Adults)
1998
Two teenagers hack T-Online, the online service run by Germany’s national telephone company and steal the details of hundreds of bank accounts. The two sixteen year old hackers brag about their exploits, calling Deutsche Telekom’s security for the online service “absolutely primitive.” Visit the official T-Online website.
2000
The 3Com Corporation announces plans to exit the high-end data networking market and to sell its dial-up modem business to a company newly formed by the Accton Technology and NatSteel Electronics. Shipments of 3Com’s NetBuilder and PathBuilder will be discontinued on June 20, 2000. Visit the official 3Com website.
Intel releases the 850 and 866MHz Pentium III processors. Price: US$765 and US$776 in 1000-unit quantities
2001
GameDaily reports that Capcom has decided to drop out of the arcade-game business, which it has been in since 1984, in order to focus on home video game development. According to the report, arcade games accounted for thirty percent of the company’s gross revenue at its peak.
New York City police disclose that thirty-two year old high school dropout, Abraham Abdallah, allegedly duped more than two hundred Forbes-listed corporate Chief Executive Officers out of millions of dollars by using computers to obtain credit records to “borrow” their identities in order to transfer funds and fraudulently purchase merchandise. Abdallah’s victims include Paul Allen, Michael Eisner, Steven Spielberg, Ted Turner, and Oprah Winfrey.
Teradyne, Inc., a manufacturer of semiconductor test equipment, announces that it has plans to lay off 650 employees and that it will delay the salaries of its remaining personnel. Visit the official Teradyne website.
2002
At the Macworld Conference & Expo in Tokyo, Japan, Apple Computer introduces the 10GB iPod. Visit the official Apple iPod website. Visit the official Macworld Conference & Expo website.
The Star Trek: Enterprise episode “Rogue Planet” first airs. (No. 118) In it, the crew encounter an alien hunting party on an uncharted planet. Memory Alpha entry
Tor Books publishes the fantasy novel A Dragon’s Ascension by Ed Greenwood as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0765302225) It is the third book in the Band of Four series. Length: 384 pages
Tor Books publishes the fantasy novel Rulers of the Darkness by Harry Turtledove as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0765300362) It is the fourth book in the darkness series. Visit the author’s official website. Length: 656 pages
2003
Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) releases Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits for the PlayStation 2 in Japan.
Victor Gollancz Ltd. publishes the science fiction novel Broken Angels by Richard Morgan as a hardcover. (ISBN 0-575-07323-3) It is the second book in the Takeshi Kovacs series. Length: 400 pages
2005
Crave Entertainment releases Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection for the GameCube. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Hackers break into a housing and food service computer system at the California State University at Chico. The system contains the identity information of about fifty-nine thousand current, former and prospective students, as well as faculty and staff members. The hackers install root kit software on the system that allowed them to secretly store games, movies, and music on the system’s computers. They also attempt to break into other university computers, but are unsuccessful, according to later reports from school officials. While there is no indication that the hackers specifically targeted confidential information, the University will notify those whose information is in the database to expect the worst. As a result of the break in, the university will no longer require students and employees to provide Social Security numbers in its campus identification systems.
Yahoo! acquires the popular photo sharing website Flickr. Visit the official Flickr website.
2006
2K Games releases The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the PlayStation 3 in North America. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: M (Mature)
The Game Developers Conference is held, over five days. At the event, Nintendo announces partnerships with Hudson and Sega for the future development of Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 games.
The film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is released on DVD in the UK and becomes the fastest selling DVD in UK history, selling six copies per second on the day of its release and 1.4 million copies in the first week following its release alone.
Nintendo releases the puzzle game Tetris DS for the Nintendo DS. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Nintendo releases the first-person shooter (FPS) Metroid Prime: Hunters for the Nintendo DS. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)
Sega releases the racing game OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast for the PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in the US. It is the eighth game in the OutRun series. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everyone)
THQ releases the strategy game Worms: Open Warfare for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E10+ (Everyone)
2007
D3 Publisher releases the third-person shooter Earth Defense Force 2017 for the Xbox 360 in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)
Electronic Arts (EA) releases The Godfather: The Game for the PlayStation 3 and Wii in North America. The game is based on the 1972 film The Godfather. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: M (Mature)
Konami releases the flight simulator Wing Island for the Wii in the US. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Konami releases the puzzle game Kororinpa for the Wii in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Majesco releases the simulation game Cooking Mama: Cook Off for the Wii in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Sega releases Shining Force EXA for the PlayStation 2 in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E10+ (Everyone)
Sega releases the simulation game Armored Core 4 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in North America. It is actually the twelfth game in the Armored Core series. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)
Sega releases Virtua Tennis 3 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Ubisoft releases the fighting game Rocky Balboa for the PlayStation Portable in North America. ESRB: T (Teen)
Ubisoft releases the flight simulator Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII for the Wii in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)
Ubisoft releases the simulation game Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific for Windows in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)
Ubisoft releases the TMNT video game for the GameCube, Playstation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360 in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E10+ (Everyone)
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