1486
The first copyright in history is granted in Venice.
1804
Juno, one of the largest main belt asteroids, is discovered by German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding.
1858
The first transatlantic cable fails after less than one month of service.
1859
A solar flare is observed for the first time by astronomer Richard C. Carrington, who will write about his discover in Description of a Singular Appearance seen in the Sun in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1960. “While engaged in the … observation of … solar spots … two patches of intensely bright and white light broke out. … I therefore noted down the time, … and seeing the outburst to be very rapidly on the increase … I hastily ran to call some one to witness … and on returning within 60 seconds, was mortified to find that it was already much changed and enfeebled. Very shortly afterwards the last trace was gone. In this lapse of 5 minutes, the two patches of light traversed a space of about 35,000 miles.”
1865
Joseph Lister performs the first antiseptic surgery.
1881
In an address to the British Association, at York, Sir William Thomson, the first Baron Kelvin, describes the sources of all energy in nature available to man for the production of mechanical effect, as the tides, food, fuel, wind, and rain. He credits all of these sources, except the tides, as being derived from the sun. This is the beginning of the science of thermodynamics.
1902
The black and white silent film A Trip to the Moon, which is considered one of the first science fiction films ever, is released in France as Le Voyage dans la lune. It is loosely based on From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne and The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells. In it, a group of men travel to the moon by being shot in a capsule from a giant cannon. They are captured by moon-men, escape, and return to the earth. IMDB listing
1939
First Cannes Film Festival is held September 1-20 as as a less politicized rival to the Mostra in Venice. However, the event will prove to be only more highly political than it’s competitors.
The Physical Review journal publishes the first scientific journal to address the astronomical phenomena of Black Holes.
1940
Experimental television broadcasters in the US are allowed to seek program sponsors for the first time.
1961
The Soviet Union ends its moratorium on atomic bomb testing with an above-ground nuclear explosion in central Asia. By September 5, it will have conducted three nuclear weapons tests above ground. In response, US President Kennedy will order the resumption of underground weapons testing by the US, beginning on September 15, 1961. On August 5, 1963, the testing will end when the Limited Test Ban Treaty is signed in Moscow, prohibiting testing in outer space, underwater, or in the atmosphere.
1962
The United Nations announces that the population of Earth has reached three billion.
1966
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Canada begins regularly broadcasting experimental color television programming. About thirty hours of color programming is broadcast each week on the English-language service, most of which is s is acquired programming, while the French-language service broadcasts fifteen hours of color programming a week, most of which is original.
Ralph Baer begins developing an idea for a game played using a standard home television monitor, writing a four-page description of the idea. Within days, he will produce schematic drawings of a two-player block chase game. In 2006, he will be awarded the National Medal of Technology for inventing the home console for video games and spawning the video game industry.
1969
The first Interface Message Processor (IMP) is installed at UCLA.
1972
In Reykjavík, Iceland, American Bobby Fischer beats Russian Boris Spassky to become the first American world chess champion.
1974
The SR-71 Blackbird strategic reconnaissance aircraft sets the record for the fastest flight between from New York and London, after making the trip in just 1 hour 54 minutes 56.4 seconds.
1977
The first TRS-80 Model I computer is sold.
1979
The American space probe Pioneer 11 becomes the first spacecraft to visit Saturn when it passes the planet at a distance of 21,000 miles.
1981
RFC 791 which defines Internetwork Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is released. Read it online.
1982
Developers declare the Apple Lisa ready for market.
Release 15 of the Infocom interactive fiction game Starcross for personal computers is published. The game was Infocom’s first in the science fiction genre. It takes place in the year 2186, when the player’s character is a lone black hole miner exploring an asteroid belt. The player’s ship, the Starcross, is fitted with a mass detector to look for “quantum black holes”, which are such powerful sources of energy that one could provide a wealth of riches. When the mass detector finally discovers an anomaly, however, it isn’t a black hole but something else entirely a massive craft of unknown origin and composition.
1983
Funware releases three of the nine game titles it announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier in the year: Ambulance, Driving Demon, Saint Nick. The six titles which will never make it into production include: Ant Colony, Astroblitz, Cave Creatures, Crisis Mountain, Pipes, and Trashman for the Texas Instrument TI-99/4a home computer. The games’ release defies Texas Instruments’ ongoing efforts to discourage unlicensed third-party game development. Funware had to backward engineer TI’s new proprietary GROM to design the games, a feat it only demonstrated for the first time at the CES.
1988
Nintendo releases the platform game Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US.
1989
Grid Systems ships the Grid MXV-01 CD-ROM drive for the Grid 1500 series laptop computer, featuring the first CD-ROM drive designed for a battery-powered laptop computer.
1990
Konami releases the platform game Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the US. Castlevania III abandons the adventure game elements of its immediate predecessor and returns to the platform game roots of the first Castlevania game. Many will considered this to the be the strongest entry in the series.
1991
Nintendo releases the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) video game console in North America. The system features a custom 5A22 processor with a 16-bit 65c816 core, 128KB RAM, 64KB SRAM, and 128KB DRAM. It will go on to become the best-selling system of its day, selling over 61.91 million units globally. Price: US$200
1992
Twenty years to the day after becoming the first American world chess champion, Bobby Fischer emerges from retirement to hold a press conference. From Yugoslavia, he spits on an order issued by the United States Treasury Department warning him that playing chess in the country would be a violation of United Nations sanctions. In defiance of the sanction, Fischer announces that he will play his one-time rival, Boris Spassky, in a five million dollar chess match in Sveti Stefan, Yugoslavia. The match will begin September 30 and run through November 11. Fischer will win the match.
Nintendo releases the racing game Super Mario Kart game for the Super NES in the US. ESRB: KA (Kids to Adults)
Toshiba introduces the Satellite as a new value-line notebook computer.
1994
Nintendo releases the roleplaying game (RPG) Illusion of Gaia for the Super NES in the US.
The United States Library of Congress holds the first of several meetings to plan a project to convert its materials to a digital format and make them accessible via internet and to preserve rare materials in danger of degrading. During the initial meeting, librarians and technical experts project that the library’s most vulnerable materials might be digitized as soon as by the year 2000.
1995
Dimension Films releases the horror thriller The Prophecy, directed by Gregory Widen and starring Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Christopher Walken, Eric Stoltz, and Viggo Mortensen, to 1,663 US theaters. In the film, angels come to Earth to find a human soul of a great general who can finally end the war in heaven. Humans are caught up in the battle and must find a way to stop the angel Gabriel before he takes the soul back from where the angel Simon has hidden it. Produced on a budget of US$8 million, the film will gross US$7,510,33 domestically in its opening weekend. IMDB listing Running Time: 1 hrs. 31 min. MPAA Rating: R
1996
Apple Computer, Inc. and Bandai release the Apple Pippin multimedia player platform in the US, featuring a 66MHz PowerPC 603e processor, 128K SRAM, a 14.4 kbit/s modem, 4x CD-ROM drive, and ran a cut-down version of the Mac OS. The system will ultimately prove to be a failure, because the Sony PlayStation, and Sega Saturn, both of which are much more powerful than Pippin with a wider range of software, already dominate the market. Read more about the system.
Nintendo releases the platform game Donkey Kong Land 2 video game for the Game Boy in the US. ESRB: K-A (Kids to Adults)
Sony reduces the price of several PlayStation games which have sold over 150,000 copies, including: Destruction Derby, NFL GameDay, NHL Face Off, Twisted Metal, WarHawk, and WipeOut.
1997
BBC Books releases the Doctor Who novel Business Unusual by Gary Russell as a paperback. (ISBN-10 0-563-40575-9) Length: 288 pages
The discovery of a new sub-atomic particle was announced, called the “exotic meson.” Scientists speculate that the exotic meson might be comprised of four quarks, unlike all other known particles, which have three. The research team included physicists at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, and other facilities in the US and Russia.
Nintendo releases the Nintendo 64 (N64) video game console, named for its 64-bit processor, in France.
1998
Ace Hardcover releases the fantasy novel Song for the Basilisk by Patricia A. McKillip as a hardcover. (ISBN-13: 978-0441004478) Length: 314 pages
International Business Machines (IBM) announces the shipment of the world’s first copper-based microprocessors, including a PowerPC 740/750 operating at 400MHz. Copper technologies represent a significant improvement over traditional aluminum technologies. The company also announced several other initiatives associated with copper, including the availability of the fastest embedded processor on the market, a 400MHz embedded PowerPC chip.
Network Associates Inc (NAI) releases version 6.0 of the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption program as freeware for Windows and Mac computers.
Nintendo releases the roleplaying games Pokémon Red version and Pokémon Blue version for the Game Boy in the US. ESRB: E (Everyone)
1999
An explosive device is detonated at about 8pm in a video game arcade of an upscale shopping mall near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. The amusement center is located in the lowest level of the three-story Manezh Square underground shopping center. Almost forty people are hurt and one will die from their injuries.
Gateway, Inc. announces that Jim Collas, president of its Amiga subsidiary, has resigned. Gateway replaces Collas with Tom Schmidt, previously Amiga’s Chief Operating Officer (COO).
The last of thirteen episodes of the science fiction series Crusade airs on the TNT cable network. Crusade is a spin-off of J. Michael Straczynski’s Babylon 5 set in 2267AD, several years after the events in Babylon 5. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five years if it is not stopped. To that end, the destroyer Excalibur has been sent out to look for anything that could help the search for a cure. The series was canceled before it even premiered due to creative differences between Straczynski and TNT. IMDB listing
Next Generation Online reports that Nintendo has released information regarding the Game Boy Advance (GBA). This new generation of handheld game systems will use a 32-bit Reduced Instruction Set Chip (RISC) Central Processing Unit (CPU) which was developed by ARM Corporation of Cambridge, United Kingdom (UK). Other features include a twenty-hour battery life, the ability to connect with cellular phones for Internet access, and a digital camera accessory. The targeted release date for Japan is August 2000.
2000
The 3DO Company releases the roleplaying game Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer for Windows in Germany. It is the eighth game in the Might and Magic series. The game will receive poor reviews, with many critics citing the increasingly dated game engine, which has been left fundamentally unaltered since Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven in 1998. USK: 12+
Apple Computer begins shipping the new iMac computer, featuring a 350 MHz PowerPC G3 processor. It is available in an indigo blue color case. Price: US$1,199
Crave releases the racing game Tokyo Xtreme Racer: 2 for the Sega Dreamcast. ESRB: E (Everyone)
Dimension Films releases the fantasy film Highlander: Endgame, directed by Douglas Aarniokoski and starring Adrian Paul, Christopher Lambert, and Bruce Payne, to 1,543 US theaters. It is the fourth film in the Highlander franchise. Produced on a budget of US$25 million, the film will gross US$5,067,331 domestically in its opening weekend. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 1 hrs. 28 min.
Nintendo releases the puzzle game Pokémon Puzzle League game for the Nintendo 64 in the US. ESRB: E (Everyone)
UbiSoft releases the platform game Rayman 2: The Great Escape for the Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64, personal computers, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Sega Dreamcast. The game is notable in that it raises the standard for 3D game graphic, it deviates from the stock platformer storyline, and it allows players to go back to earlier levels of the game to finish certain tasks.
2001
Penguin Putnam publishes the fantasy novel Grave Peril by Jim Butcher as a paperback. (ISBN-10 0-4514-5844-3) It is the third book in the The Dresden Files series, which follows the character of Harry Dresden, present-day Chicago’s only professional wizard. Visit the book’s official website. Length: 378 pages
2002
Ratbag releases Dirt Track Racing 2 for the personal computer. ESRB: E (Everyone)
2003
BBC Books releases the Dr. Who novel Wolfsbane as a paperback. (ISBN-10 0-563-48609-0) Length: 288 pages
Electronic Arts releases the action game Bionicle: The Game for the GameBoy Advance, GameCube, personal computers, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The game is based on the movie Bionicle: Mask of Light. ESRB: E (Everyone)
2004
Acclaim files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy with the US Bankruptcy Court of New York, which will virtually destroy the company in liquidating all possible assets to pay off their enormous debt which reportedly tops USD$100 million.
The IBM System z Application Assist Processor (zAAP) mainframe processor begins its first commercial production workload, at an undisclosed Midwestern US insurance company, performing claims processing. zAAP engines are dedicated to running Java workloads under z/OS, accelerating performance. The zAAP is not the first processor technology dedicated to a specific programming language or even to Java. Other Java processors include aJile Systems’ aJ-100 and Sun’s picoJava. However, zAAP is apparently unique to large-scale commercial Java processing. Visit the system’s official website.
iTunes sales exceeds 125 million songs.
Nintendo reduces the price of the Game Boy Advance SP in the US from US$99.99 to US$79.99.
Nokia announces that it has shipped one million N-Game video game systems worldwide to date.
2005
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, Missouri, rules that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act disallows altering video games published by Blizzard to link with servers other than the company’s official Battle.net site.
Koei releases Dynasty Warriors for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Europe. It is one of the earliest games released for the PSP console. Visit the game’s official website. PEGI: 12+
Namco releases the racing game Ridge Racer for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Europe. The game features a total of twelve courses, all taken from previous PlayStation games or the arcade-only title Rave Racer. PEGI: 3+
Sega releases Virtua Tennis: World Tour for the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Europe. PEGI: 3+
Sony Computer Entertainment releases Ape Escape Academy for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Europe. By utilizing the PSP’s Wi-Fi capabilities, up to 4 players can play at a time. PEGI: 3+
Sony Computer Entertainment releases the vehicle combat Fired Up for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Europe. PEGI: 7+
Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld gaming device is launched in Europe after three delays in the release date. In the first three days it will sell 185,000 units in the UK.
Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld gaming device is launched in Australia and New Zealand It retails for AU$399.95 (€244), after consumer anger led Sony to reduce the price from its original AU$429.95 (€262).
Ubisoft releases the puzzle game Lumines for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Europe. It is a block-dropping game, with a look and basic gameplay similar to Columns or Tetris. PEGI: 3+
2006
ASK releases the educational game MinDStorm as “Akiyama Jin Kyouju Kanshuu: Zennou JinJin” for the Nintendo DS in Japan. CERO: All ages
Codemasters releases the music game Dance Factory for the Playstation 2 in Europe.
The independent film The Illusionist, directed by Neil Burger and starring Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell, Eddie Marsan, and Eleanor Tomlinson, is released to 971 US theaters. In the film, a magician in turn-of-the-last-century Vienna falls in love with a woman well above his social standing. When she becomes engaged to the crown prince, the magician uses his powers to free her and undermine the stability of the royal house of Vienna. Produced on a budget of US$16.5 million, the film will gross US$6,189,133 in its opening weekend. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 1 hrs. 49 min.
The Japanese anime film Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society, directed by Kenji Kamiyama and starring Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Koichi Yamadera, Osamu Saka, Yutaka Nakano, Toru Okawa, Takashi Onozuka, and Taro Yamaguchi premieres in Japan on the Animax satellite television network on a pay-per-view basis. It’s based on Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series. IMDB listing Running Time: 1 hr 22 mins
Luxembourg to closes down analogue television transmissions in favor of digital terrestrial television (DTT), becoming the first country to complete the move to all digital broadcasting.
Shadow Tor Studios releases the horror game Barrow Hill for personal computers. Players investigate what is happening to the local people and why an archeological dig, led by professor Conrad Morse, has created so much unrest and hostility among the local community. During your exploration you will discover the local legends and superstitions, while using modern electronic devices like PDAs, GPS and metal detectors to unfold the mystery. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)
THQ releases the action game Saints Row, which incorporates driving elements, for the Xbox 360 in Europe. The game has been described as bearing a striking resemblance to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Visit the game’s official website. PEGI: 18+
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