The Great Geek Manual

1519
Architect, artist, engineer, and natural philosopher Leonardo da Vinci dies at the Clos Lucé manision in France. Visit the official website of the Clos Lucé

1880
The S.S. Columbia becomes the first ship to install lights, using an Edison “A” type dynamo and the first commercial order of Edison lightbulbs. The one hundred fifteen cardboard filament bulbs will be used to light the steamboat’s quarters and salons during its two month voyage from New York CityNew York City to San Francisco, California, which will depart on May 8th.

1944
W2XWV in New York City becomes the first commercial television station in the US and changes its call sign to WABD. At 9pm, the station broadcasts the thrity-minute program “Your World Tomorrow,” which features news of the wars and entertainment.

1952
The world’s first jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1, makes its maiden flight between London and Johannesburg.

1957
Warner Brothers releases the horror film The Curse of Frankenstein, directed by Terence Fisher and starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Hazel Court, and Robert Urquhart, to UK theaters. It is the first in a series of seven Frankenstein films. Produced on a budget of US$500,000, the film will become a cult classic among horror aficionados. IMDB listing Running Time: 1 hr 23 mins

1961
The International Business Machines (IBM) Data Processing Division (DPD) introduces the IBM 604 Model 2 electronic calculating punch.

1965
The Early Bird communications satellite goes into commercial service, transmitting the first transatlantic television program, “Out of this World,” to over three hundred million viewers in nine countries.

1983
Microsoft introduces the Microsoft Mouse for IBM and IBM-compatible personal computers. The device features two buttons and is specifically designed to operated with its new Microsoft Word wordprocessor. Though Microsoft will manufacture nearly one hundred thousand units of the device, the company will only sell five thousand before introducing a second, more popular version of the device in 1985.

Microsoft releases the Microsoft Word wordprocessor for personal computers. Visit the official Word processor. Price: US$229

1985
At The Pierre Hotel in New York City, Microsoft introduces the Excel spreadsheet application for the Macintosh.

1988
The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “We’ll Always Have Paris” first airs. (No. 124) In it, Picard brings the Enterprise to the rescue of an old flame, who has become involved in an malfunctioning dimensional experiment. Memory Alpha entry

1994
The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Bloodlines” first airs. (No. 274) In it, Picard discovers that he has a son, only to have him threatened by a Ferengi holding a grudge over the distant past. Ferengi Memory Alpha entry

1995
3DO demonstrates the M2 3-D technology of its Interactive Multiplayer video game system.

2003
Twentieth Century Fox releases the action film X2: X-Men United, directed by Bryan Singer and starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Anna Paquin, Halle Berry, Shawn Ashmore, and James Marsden, to 3,741 US theaters. It is based on the Marvel comic franchise X-Men. Produced on a budget of US$110 million, it will gross US$85,558,731 domestically in its opening weekend. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 hrs. 14 mins

2006
Intel releases the 3600MHz Pentium D 960 processor, featuring a dual 2,048KB Level-2 Cache and a 800MHz Front-Side Bus. Price: US$530

2008
Paramount Pictures releases the action film Iron Man, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, and Gwyneth Paltrow, to 4,105 US theaters. The film is an adaptation of the Marvel Comics series of the same name. Produced on a budget of US$140 million, it will gross US$98,618,668 domestically in its opening weekend. IMDB listing (MPAA Rating: PG-13) Running Time: 2 hrs 6 mins