The Great Geek Manual

1576
Tycho Brahe is given Hveen Island on which to build the Uraniborg Observatory.

1825
William Sturgeon publishes the first article on an electromagnet in the journal Transactions of the Society of Arts (Vol. XLIII, p.38). The publication features illustrations of his apparatus for electromagnetic experiments, which include one of horse-shoe shaped magnet and one a straight bar magnet.

1903
Paris, France and Rome, Italy are connected by telephone for first time.

1905
Thomas Alva Edison is issued a patent for a “Process of Duplicating Phonographic Records.” (US No. 790,351)

1916
Thomas Alva Edison is finally issued three patents for his “Phonograph or Talking Machine.” (US Nos. 1,184,332-4) The original patent applications were made December 7, 1910, February 17 1911, and August 12, 1912.

1922
Walt Disney’s first company, Laugh-o-Gram Films is incorporated.

1927
Current developments in television technology are demonstrated to nearly six hundred members of a joint meeting of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) and the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) at the headquarter ofBell Telephone at 55 Bethune Street, New York. It is the first demonstration of television before a large audience.

1929
The first talking cartoon of Mickey Mouse, The Karnival Kid, is released. IMDB listing

1930
In the US, Plant Patent Act is signed into law. The Act provides patent protection for new and distinct varieties of asexually reproduced plants for the first time. Thomas A. Edison testified in support of the legislation, saying “This (bill) will, I feel sure, give us many Burbanks,” referring to Luther Burbank, who developed more than eight hundred varieties of plants.

1957
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decides it has power to authorize subscription television services in the US if it is in the public interest, but it doesn’t decide whether this would still be classified as “broadcasting.”

1958
Explorer I, which was the first US satellite when it was launched February 1, 1958, stops transmitting data back to Earth as its batteries are depleted. It was the first spacecraft to detect the Van Allen radiation belt. Read more about Explorer I at I Spy Space.

1962
Everett “Red” Knowles, age 12, becomes the world’s first human limb transplant recipient when a team of ten doctors headed by Dr. Donald A. Malt and Dr. J. McKhann reattach the boy’s right arm at Massachusetts General Hospital. The boy’s arm was torn off at the shoulder when he was thrown against a stone wall while attempting to hop a freight train. Read more at Wired online.

1981
Kevin Mitnick, age 17, is arrested for stealing computer manuals from Pacific Bell’s switching center in Los Angeles, California. He will be prosecuted as a juvenile and sentenced to probation.

NASA launches the Intelsat V commercial communications satellite.

1983
The Japan Microcomputer Show is held at Ryutsu Center in Tokyo, Japan. At the event, the Casio FP-200 handheld microcomputer is unveiled. The device features a 8-line x 20 character display, 8KB RAM, and 32KB ROM. Read more about the FP-200 at the Home Computer Museum. Price: US$300

1984
The Spacenet F1 satellite, the first of four hybrid C-/Ku-band communication satellites intended to create data network services, is launched aboard an Ariane rocket. The Spacenet satellites were built for Southern Pacific Communications (SPC), which was bought by GTE before the first Spacenet was launched. Visit the official Spacenet website.

1986
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer releases the horror film Poltergeist II: The Other Side, directed by Brian Gibson and starring JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson, to 1,596 US theaters. The film is the sequel to the classic 1982 film Poltergeist. Produced on a budget of US$19 million, it will gross US$12,357,190 domestically in its opening weekend. IMDB listing (MPAA Rating: PG-13) Running Time: 1 hr 31 mins

1989
NEC Home Electronics announces that it will begin selling a new home video game system in the fall, for about US$200. Visit the official NEC website.

1993
The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “The Forsaken” is first aired. (No. 117) In it, Federation ambassador from Betazed Lwaxana Troi visits the station and develops an affection for Odo. Memory Alpha entry

The final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “All Good Things…,” first airs. (No. 725 and 726) In it, Picard becomes unstuck in time, shifting between three points in his own life: the past, during the events of “Encounter at Farpoint,” the present, and the future. With the assistance of Q, Picard must prevent a disaster that will occur in the past by changing the events of the future. The series ran for 178 episodes across seven seasons.
Memory Alpha entry

At the SunWorld conference, Sun Microsystems first announces the Java programming language and the Hotjava web browser. Netscape announces its intention to license Java for use in the company’s web browser. Java will enable client-side data processing which can be performed using safe, downloadable micro-programs called “applets.” The concept behind its development is to design a programming language whose cross-platform applications will operate with any operating system, eliminating compatibility issues among IBM-compatible computers, Macintoshes, and Unix-based machines.

1995
MySQL is first released internally. Visit the official MySql website.

Sun Microsystems releases the first version of the Java programming language, created by James Gosling. Visit the official Java website.

1997
Apple Computer spins their Newton division off into a separate company to employees in an effort to salvage the line and focus on the ailing Macintosh. Read more at CNet.

Carlos Felipe Salgado, Jr., age 36, known by the handle “Smak”, is charged with gathering one hundred thousand credit card numbers along with the information needed to use them with a packet-sniffer program with which he extracted the information from the databases of a dozen companies stored on an undisclosed ISP’s servers. He was arrested when he sold the numbers on an encrypted CD to undercover FBI agents he believed to be members of the ISP for US$260,000 in cash at the San Francisco Airport on May 21st. He will plead guilty to all charges on August 26, 1997.

Universal Studios releases the science fiction film The Lost World: Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg starring Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Moore, to 3,281 US theaters. Produced on a budget of just over US$70 million, the film will gross about US$90.1 million within four days. The sequel to Jurassic Park is notable for its revolutionary computer animation sequences, which feature a sequence in which a lifelike Tyrannosaurus Rex rampages through the streets of San Diego. Produced on a budget of US$73 million, it will gross US$72,132,785 domestically in its opening weekend. Visit this film’s official website. IMDB listing (MPAA Rating: PG-13) Running Time: 2 hrs 9 mins

US President Bill Clinton vows to support legislation that prevents state and local governments from implementing new taxes on the Internet.

Version 5.0 of the Microsoft Exchange Server collaboration suite is released. This version introduces the new Exchange Administrator console, as well as opening up “integrated” access to SMTP-based networks for the first time. Unlike Microsoft Mail (which requires a standalone SMTP relay), Exchange Server 5.0 can, with the help of an add-in called the Internet Mail Connector, communicate directly with servers using the new mail standard. Version 5.0 also introduces a new Web-based e-mail interface, Exchange Web Access. Visit the official Microsoft Exchange Server website.

2000
The website of Movie World is hacked by “cock”. View an archived version of the defaced website.

The website of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Delaware is hacked by “Pentaguard”. View an archived version of the defaced website.

2001
The final two episodes of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, “Endgame, Part I” and “Endgame, Part II,” first air. (No. 725 and 726) In the episodes, Admiral Janeway arrives from the future in an attempt to shorten Voyager’s trip home. She guides the ship to a Borg transwarp conduit, where the Janeway of the past refuses to return home without striking out at the Borg. The crew implements a risky plan to take destroy the transwarp conduits while still making their way home. The series ran for 172 episodes over seven seasons. Memory Alpha entry

Microsoft announces plans regarding the upcoming release of Windows for Intel’s 64-bit Itanium processors. Windows XP 64-Bit Edition will debut with 32-bit versions on October 25, but will be first available through an “Early Deployment Program” for developers. The 64-bit Windows Advanced Server Limited Edition will become available upon the release of Itanium systems. Microsoft toyed with the idea of releasing a 64-bit version of Windows 2000, but held off due to delays surrounding the Itanium. “The 64-bit Windows platform is the best choice for customers who want to combine powerful, 64-bit computing with great price/performance and manageability, unmatched scalability, and broad hardware and software support,” announces senior vice president of the Windows Division, Brian Valentine, in a press release. Microsoft promises to support more than three hundred software applications for the 64-bit Windows Platform, including SQL Server 2000, which is currently in beta. 64-bit systems are aimed at businesses and other organizations needing high-powered computing solutions, not everyday computer users. While 32-bit applications will run on Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, there will be no performance increase. Intel has also stated that Itanium systems will initially be geared toward developers.

United States law officials announce that a major crackdown on Internet fraud named Operation “Cyber Loss” is underway, targeting pyramid schemes and other web-based scams. The officials claim that fifty-six thousand people have suffered losses from such fraud schemes, with an estimated total loss of more than US$117 million. The operation will eventually result in sixty-two arrests and eighty-eight people being charged amid sixty-one various federal, state, and local investigations.

2005
Electronics Boutique announces an agreement to acquire the Jump chain of consumer electronics retail stores based in Valencia, Spain. Electronics Boutique plans to begin introducing video game hardware and software into Jump’s 141 locations. The acquisition provides Electronics Boutique with an entry into the Spanish marketplace and continues Electronics Boutique’s aggressive international expansion.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts releases a beta version of Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom (VMK), a free massively multiplayer online game set in the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom parks. It features games based on real-world park attractions. This beta version launches the Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Main Street areas. The game is notable for the restrictions it imposes on its players in order to keep the environment kid-friendly. It only operates daily between 10:00am and 1:00am EST and restricts users’ chat to a ten thousand word dictionary. The game will be shut down May 21, 2008.
Visit the official Virtual Magic Kingdom website.

The Xbox 360 is featured on the cover of Time magazine. Visit the official Time magazine website.

2006
Version 2.0 Alpha 3 of the NeoOffice office suite is released for the PowerPC. Visit the official NeoOffice website.

Windows Vista Beta 2 (build number of 5384) is released to Microsoft Developer Network subscribers and Microsoft Connect testers. Visit the official Windows Vista website.

2008
Version 4.20 of the PureBasic programming language is released. The version includes a number of updates that make the language more similar to other Basic languages. Visit the official PureBasic website.