1671
Giovanni Cassini discovers Iapetus, a moon of Saturn.
1858
The signals carried between Europe and the U.S. over the new transatlantic telegraph cable die altogether as the cable fails. This, the first intercontinental connection, won’t be replaced until 1866.
1945
Radio Corporation of America (RCA) equips its its studios in Radio City, New York with orthicon television cameras, the first cameras to use camera tubes more sensitive to light than film. It marks the beginning of electronic photography.
1955
The first domestic microwave oven is introduced by the Tappan Stove Company in Mansfield, Ohio. The model is a 24-inch built-in oven that operates on 220 volts. The devices will only be moderately successful. The first commercial microwave oven was released in 1947 by Raytheon. Price: US$1,295
1960
The Bulova’s Accutron 214, the world’s first electronic wrist watch, goes on sale in New York City. The Accutron has the potential to keep time accurately within two seconds per day, using a germanium PNP transistor circuit with a 360Hz tuning fork. It’s marketed as “the watch the astronauts wear” and sold in jewelry stores. Over four million will be sold before Bulova discontinues their production in 1977.
1968
The Star Trek episode “Spectre of the Gun” first airs. (No. 56/61) In it, Captain Kirk and his companions are forced to re-enact the shoot out at the O.K. Corral for having trespassed on an alien world. Memory Alpha entry
1974
The United States Air Force (USAF) fires its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The Space and Missile Systems Organization (SAMSO) successfully launched a Minuteman I from a C-5A cargo aircraft.
1977
Digital Equipment Corporation releases version 1.0 of the OpenVMS operating system.
1978
The independently produced horror film Halloween, directed by John Carpenter and starring Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nick Castle, Nancy Loomis, P.J. Soles, and Brian Andrews, to U.S. theaters. In it, a psychotic murderer institutionalized since childhood escapes on a mindless rampage while his doctor chases him through the streets. Produced on a budget of US$325,000, the film will be a surprise blockbuster success. IMDB listing (MPAA Rating: R) Running Time: 1 hr 31 mins
1982
The Monday, October 25th issue of Time magazine features the image of Pac-Man on the cover and the headline, “THE PAC MEN Turning Cash into Votes.”
1984
Osborne Computer announces the Vixen computer, featuring a Zilog Z80A, 64KB RAM, a twenty-five line display, and two 390KB disk drives. The system comes bundled with the CP/M 2.2 operating system, the WordStar 3.3 word processor, Supercalc 2, MBASIC, a game called Desolation, the Osboard Software (a graphics package), and Media Master, an application for transferring data to MS-DOS disks. An optional 10MB hard disk can be added with an interface card for an additional US$1,498, which is more than the price of the system. The Vixen is a technologically superior follow-up to the Osborne 1, the world’s first commercially successful portable microcomputer; however, unlike its predecessor, it will be a complete failure due to the recent release of the IBM PC (specifically the IBM Personal Computer/AT), which will dry up demand for systems running the CP/M operating system almost overnight. As a result, the Vixen will be the last machine produced by Osborne, and later in the year, the company will close. Price: US$1,298
Osborne Computer announces the Encore computer, featuring an Intel 8086 processor, 128KB RAM (expandable to 512KB), a built-in modem, one 390KB disk drive, the MS-DOS operating system, and a monochrome sixteen-line line screen. Price: US$2,195 Weight: Under 10lb
1989
New York Newsday and American CITINET announce an online newspaper on a phone company videotex gateway called Info-Look.
1993
The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Phantasms” first airs. (No. 706) In it, Data experiences bizarre dreams, caused by invisible parasites infesting the Enterprise. Memory Alpha entry
1995
George Roberts IV releases the Nexus bulletin board system (BBS), a DOS based Telegard/Renegade clone loosely based on an older Telegard (TG) BBS clone that he had been developing for several years prior, to the public. Roberts will continue developing the application through 2001, and then, on August 31, 2002, he’ll release the application into open source.
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