1930
The planet Pluto is officially named. The name was suggest by a eleven year old girl named Venetia Burney. The name was selected from three suggestions by a unanimous vote of the members of the Lowell Observatory. The other two possible names were “Cronus” and “Minerva.” Read more about the history of Pluto.
1959
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) invites applications for over-the-air paid television experiments, for a three-year period. Only one trial will be permitted in any market with at least four commercial television stations.
The “Microwave Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation” (MASER) is patented by Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes. (US No. 2,879,439) The device is an apparatus for producing coherent electromagnetic energy from excited atoms.
Robert Noyce of Texas Instruments (TI) publicly demonstrates the first integrated circuit. The circuit demonstrated consists of a sliver of Germanium with five components, each linked by wires.
1965
The NASA spacecraft Ranger 9 transmits images of the Moon to homes across the US before it crash landing ten miles (16km) northeast of the lunar crater Alphonsus.
1982
Microsoft U.K. Ltd. is incorporated.
1989
Sierra releases Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon for personal computers.
1992
NASA launches the Space Shuttle Atlantis on a mission to study the Earth’s atmosphere. The first Belgian to travel into space, Dirk Frimout, is aboard the shuttle as a member of the crew. (STS-45)
1997
Wizards of the Coast releases the Fifth Edition of the Magic: The Gathering core set. The set include 449 cards, including: 165 Common cards, 132 Uncommon cards, 132 Rare cards, and 20 Basic Lands. Visit the official Magic: The Gathering website.
1998
Del Rey releases the fantasy novel The Demon Spirit by R.A. Salvatore as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0345391519) It is the second book in the first DemonWars Trilogy. Visit the author’s official website. Length: 465 pages
Electronics Boutique Holdings Corp. offers 7.5 million common shares in an Initial Public Offering (IPO). Visit the official EB Games website.
In Jonesboro, Arkansas, two boys, ages eleven and thirteen, open fire on fellow students at Westside Middle School while remaining hidden in the nearby woodlands. Both boys are heavily armed and wearing full camouflage. Four students and one teacher are killed and ten others are injured in the incident. Because of the clearly premeditated nature of the crime, first-person shooter (fps) games came under criticism in the media. Read more about the massacre at CNN.
1999
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) website in Brussels is shut down by Serbian hackers using denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. NATO sources strongly suspect that the attacks came from the Serbian military, rather than independent hackers. Read more about the attacks at CNN.
Psygnosis releases the racing game Rollcage for Windows and the PlayStation. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Warner Books releases Business @ the Speed of Thought : Using a Digital Nervous System by Bill Gates as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0742906760) The book puts forth the idea that in order for businesses to “think” fast enough to succeed in the new digital economy, business must enable the flow of information. Visit the book’s official website. Length: 470 pages
2000
The website of eNews India is hacked by “Pakistan HC”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
The website of India Weekly, India’s oldest operating website, is hacked by “Pakistan HC”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
The website of the MGM Grand Casino is hacked by “theFLEX”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
Nintendo releases the platform game Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards for the Nintendo 64 in Japan. ESRB: E (Everyone)
The website of Pan India is hacked by “Pakistan HC”. View an archived version of the defaced website.
2001
Apple Computer releases the MacOS X. This version introduces the stability of a protected memory architecture with the introduction of a version of Darwin based on FreeBSD 5.0. Visit the official Mac OS X website. Code-name: Cheetah Price: US$129
2002
The 74th Academy Awards are held, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. A Beautiful Mind, a film about the life of Nobel Prize winning mathematician John Forbes Nash wins Best Picture.
2003
Intel begins providing samples of 200-400 MHz XScale processors to handheld device manufacturers. The processors use StrataFlash memory to improve the battery life of smaller handheld devices. Visit the official StrataFlash Memory website.
Nintendo releases The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the GameCube in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) releases the music game Amplitude for the PlayStation 2 in the US. ESRB: T (Teen)
2004
Capcom releases the fighting game Onimusha Blade Warriors for the PlayStation 2 in North America. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)
The European Commission issues a unanimous decision that finds Microsoft“>Microsoft guilty of abusing the “near-monopoly” of its Windows operating system. The Commission orders Microsoft to pay a record €497 million (US$613 million) fine, to make a European version of its operating system without a media player available within ninety days, and to release programming code to rivals in the server market within one hundred twenty days. Read more at CNN or at Wikipedia.
Microsoft releases the Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition operating system, also known as Windows Mobile 2003 SE. The system is first offered on the Dell Axim x30. Visit the official Windows Mobile website.
Network Solutions begins offering one hundred year domain registration. Visit the official Network Solutions website.
Nintendo releases Pokémon Colosseum for the GameCube in North America. Visit an archived version of the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everything)
Ubisoft releases the stealth-based game Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow for the Game Boy Advance in Europe. It is the second game in the Splinter Cell series. Visit the game’s official website. PEGI: 12+
2005
Bandai releases the versus fighting game Zatch Bell! Mamodo Battles for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 in Japan. The game is based on the anime series Zatch Bell!.
Nintendo releases the Nintendo DS video game system in two new colors, Graphite Black and Pure White in Japan. Visit the official Nintendo DS website. Price: US$150
Sega releases Super Monkey Ball Deluxe for the PlayStation 2, Xbox in Japan.
Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) releases the racing game Wipeout Pure for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) releases the vehicular combat game Twisted Metal: Head-On for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in North America. It is the seventh game released in the Twisted Metal series. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)
Sony releases the PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld video game system in North America. The system features a 32MB Memory Stick Duo card, a battery pack, and the 2004 film Spider-Man 2 on a Universal Media Disc (UMD). Visit the official PSP website. Price: CDN$299.99, US$249.99
Ubisoft releases Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening for the PlayStation 2 in Europe. PEGI: 16+
Ubisoft releases the tactical shooter Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2 for the Gamecube in Europe. Visit the game’s official website. PEGI: 16+ USK: 16
2006
2K Games releases The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for Windows and Xbox 360 in Europe. Visit the game’s official website. BBFC: 15 PEGI: 16+ USK: 12
Koei releases Samurai Warriors: State of War for the PlayStation Portable in Europe. PEGI: 16+
THQ releases the strategy game Worms: Open Warfare for the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable (PSP) in PAL regions. Visit the game’s official website. PEGI: 7+
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