1784
The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, the first daily paper in America, is first published.
1897
The The New York Sun runs a letter sent in by Virginia O’Hanlon, asking, “I am eight years old. Some of my friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in “The Sun”, it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth. Is there a Santa Claus?” Along with the letter, the paper runs the famous response written by editor Frank Church. “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist. No Santa Claus? Thank God he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay ten times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.” Read the text of the original article and view digital images of the original newspaper.
strong>1937
The Hobbit written by J.R.R. Tolkien, a professor at Oxford University, is first published. Visit the official Tolkien website.
1972
Texas Instruments, Inc. (TI) enters the electronic calculator market with three new calculators. The TI-2500 or the Datamath offers four-function, full-floating decimal point with an eight-digit Light Emitting Diode (LED) display. The unit is also rechargeable and works with AC or DC power sources. It sells for US$119.95. The desktop models, the TI-3000 and TI-3500 sell for under US$85 and US$100 respectively. Both are four-function with gas-discharge displays. The TI-3000 has an eight digit display and the TI-3500 has a ten digit display. Dealers are required to order a minimum of 96 per model to stock them. They are the first patented calculators on the market.
1972
The NASA robotic space probe Mariner 10 makes second pass of the planet Mercury.
1982
Putnam Adult publishes the science fiction novel White Plague by Frank Herbert as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0399127216) In it, a virulent new disease expressly designed to target only women spreads throughout the entire world. As fully half of the human race dies off at a frightening pace and life on Earth faces extinction, panicked people and governments struggle to cope with the global crisis. Infected areas are quarantined or burned to the ground. The few surviving women are locked away in hidden reserves, while frantic doctors and scientists race to find a cure. Anarchy and violence consume the planet. The plague is the work of a solitary individual who calls himself the Madman. As government security forces feverishly hunt for the renegade scientist, he wanders incognito through a world that will never be the same. Society, religion, and morality are all irrevocably transformed by the White Plague. Length: 445 pages
1992
The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Time’s Arrow (Part 2)” first airs. In it, an away mission follows Data into the past to prevent alien from interfering with Earth’s timeline. Memory Alpha entry
In Tokyo, Japan, Jeff Hansen of the US defeats Yuichi Suyama of Japan to become the World Nintendo Champion.
1994
Microsoft releases the Windows NT 3.5 operating system. It is released in two editions: Server and Workstation. The system was developed for the purpose of increasing the speed of the operating system. The project was given the codename “Daytona” as a reference to the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. View the system’s interface at GUIdebook.
Nintendo releases the golf game Kirby’s Dream Course as Kirby Bowl for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in Japan.
1996
A New York Times article reveals that an investigation into the crash of American Airlines Flight 965 in Colombia in December 1995 revealed that a programming error may have contributed to the disaster. The pilots apparently selected the first choice of a beacon to guide the plane’s autopilot to a landing without checking that it was the correct destination. As a result, the plane flew one hundred miles off course, with the devastating result of 159 deaths.
1998
3dfx Interactive files a suit in Northern California District Court against Nvidia, a competing 3D chip producer. The suit alleges patent infringements on its multi-texturing technologies.
Apple Computer releases the AppleWorks 5 software suite. Price: US$99 or US$79 (upgrade)
Seven UCLA websites are hacked by “The BTF Team”. View an archived version of the defaced websites.
1999
A large earthquake registering 7.6 on the Richter scale strikes Taiwan, causing a two-week halt to regional manufacturing facilities, which supply a vast amount of computing components to the world. Hundreds die and analysts predict that world chip prices will rise sharply as a result.
Version 1.12 of the HydraBBS bulletin board system (BBS) is released
2000
Nintendo releases Pokémon Puzzle Challenge as Pokémon no Panepon for the Game Boy Color in Japan.
Researchers at F-Secure and McAfee.com researchers discover the first handheld computer virus “Phage”, which targets the Palm OS.
Skotos releases a beta version of the online multiplayer roleplaying game Castle Marrach, playable online through a standard web browser. Visit the game’s official website.
United States prosecutors reveal that Jason Diekman, age 20, is charged with allegedly hacking into computer systems at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and NASA computers at Stanford University. Additional charges allege the theft of over five hundred credit card numbers, which were used to make more than six thousand dollars worth of purchases.
Version 7.0 of Corel Paint Shop Pro, a bitmap and vector graphics editor, is released for Windows. Visit the application’s official website.
Working Designs releases the vertical scrolling shooter Silpheed: The Lost Planet for the PlayStation 2 in Japan.
2001
Activision releases Spider-Man: Mysterio’s Menace for the Game Boy Advance in Europe.
Deep Space 1 passes within 2,200km of Comet Borrelly.
Majesco releases the shooting game Iridion 3D for the Game Boy Advance in Europe. Visit the game’s official website.
Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) releases Dark Cloud for the PlayStation 2 in Europe. ELSPA: 11+
Ubisoft releases Myst III: Exile for Windows in Europe.
2002
The Andromeda episode “If The Wheel Is Fixed” is first airs. (No. 301) In it, energy from a dimensional tunnel takes control of two crew members.
Tor Books publishes the fantasy anthology The American Fantasy Tradition by Brian M. Thomsen as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0765301520) The book is a comprehensive critical anthology of American fantasy literature that applies the groundbreaking theorems of such esteemed American literary critics as Leslie Fiedler, Richard Chase, and Irving Howe to the genre of fantasy in an effort to delineate the true American tradition of fantasy from the more prominent Anglo-European canon, breaking it down into three distinctive strains: The American Tale, Fantastic Americana, and Lands of Enchantment in Everyday Life. Length: 544 pages
2003
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) releases the 1917MHz Athlon XP 2600+ processor, featuring a 512KB Level-2 Cache and a 333MHz Front Side Bus.
Intel releases the 2667MHz Pentium 4 HT 2.66 mobile processor, featuring a 512MHz Level-2 cache and a 533MHz Front Side Bus.
The unmanned NASA space probe Galileo successfully completes its eight-year mission to Jupiter by entering the planet’s atmosphere, where it is crushed, then vaporized. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California directed the craft into Jupiter’s atmosphere to prevent the probe from contamination any of Jupiter’s moons. Contact with the satellite is lost at approximately 3:40pm EDT.
2004
Atari releases the Editor’s Choice Edition of Unreal Tournament 2004, featuring four new Onslaught maps, three new vehicles, and six character skins to the original content of the game, as well as several mods developed by the community and selected by Epic Games. Visit the game’s official website.
Atari releases the first person shooter Shadow Ops: Red Mercury for the personal computer and the XBox. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)
The BBC launches the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Infocom interactive fiction game The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to coincide with the initial broadcast of the radio series Tertiary Phase. The game will go on to win the Interactive BAFTA Award for Best Online Entertainment on March 2, 2005.
Capcom releases Monster Hunter for the PlayStation 2. ESRB: T (Teen)
LucasArts releases the first person shooter Star Wars: Battlefront for the PlayStation 2, the XBox, and Windows. In it, players re-live the epic battles from the Star Wars film trilogies. It can be played online with up to fifty players using Windows or the XBox and up to sixteen players on the PlayStation. The game’s release was timed to coincide with the release of the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)
The Star Wars trilogy is re-released on DVD. Before their release, the films underwent extensive restoration and alteration. The alteration to the films will become a point of controversy among Star Wars fans, many of whom are outraged that the original version of the films, as first seen in theaters, are not available.
Sega releases Headhunter: Redemption for the Playstation 2 and Xbox in the US. ESRB: M (Mature)
Square Enix releases the Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia expansion pack for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (mmoprpg) Final Fantasy XI for Windows. ESRB: T (Teen)
THQ releases the real-time tactics game Full Spectrum Warrior for the personal computer in the US. The game was originally developed by Pandemic Studios as a serious simulator to serve as a training aid for the United States Army. The US Army also developed Full Spectrum Command with the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) as a more strategy-oriented serious game intended for higher ranking military officers. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: M (Mature)
Ubisoft releases the platform game Star Wars Trilogy: Apprentice of the Force for the Game Boy Advance in the US.
WOW Entertainment releases the fantasy action game Blood Will Tell for the PlayStation 2 in the US. It is based on the Japanese manga series Dororo created by Osamu Tezuka. ESRB: M (Mature)
2005
Atari releases the real-time strategy roleplaying game (rpg) Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard for Windows in the US. The game takes place in Eberron, one of the official D&D campaign settings. The game combines elements of traditional real-time strategy gameplay with role-playing elements such as hero units and questing. It includes two single player campaigns, single player skirmish maps, and multiplayer support. The single player campaign follows the struggles of three factions competing to control of a magical artifact known as the Heart of Siberys. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)
The Lost episode “Man of Science, Man of Faith” first airs. (No. 25) In it, Jack, Kate and Locke investigate the hatch and find Desmond, a man living inside. Shannon sees Walt in the jungle. In flashbacks, Jack operates on his eventual wife and meets Desmond.
2006
Buena Vista Games releases the platform game The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Tipton Trouble for the Nintendo DS in the US. ESRB: E (Everyone)
From Software releases the stealth action game Tenchu: Dark Secret for the Nintendo DS in Australia.
Namco releases the third-person shooter Bounty Hounds for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Japan. The game revolves around a group of intergalactic mercenaries, known as the Bounty Hounds, who are on a mission to eradicate the indigenous lifeforms of alien planets, so the human race may colonize them.
Nintendo releases the scrolling shooter Star Fox Command for the Nintendo DS of Australia. OFLC: PG
Version 9.02 of the Opera Internet Suite is released.
2007
Screen Gems releases the sci-fi action film Resident Evil: Extinction, directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Oded Fehr, and Mike Epps, to 2,828 US theaters. It’s the third film based on the popular survival horror game series Resident Evil. In it, Alice travels across the Mojave desert and through Las Vegas on a journey to reach Alaska, in the hope of escaping the zombie apocalypse. Though its opening weekend will out-gross both of its predecessors’ openings, Extinction received far worse reviews, largely for its predictability and lack of plot complexity. Produced on a budget of US$50,648,679, it will gross US$23,678,580 domestically in its opening weekend. Visit this film’s official website. IMDb profile MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins
The Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) announces that it has filed the first US copyright infringement lawsuit to ever be based on a violation of a GNU General Public License (GPL) the previous day on behalf of two principal developers of BusyBox, an application that provides many of the Unix tools that have become standard among more popular Linux distributions under GPL version 2. The suit, filed against Monsoon Multimedia, Inc. in Manhattan Federal District Court, alleges that the company has failed to provide recipients of its firmware, which implements BusyBox, with access to its underlying source code as stipulated in the GPL governing BusyBox. Erik Andersen, one of the two principal developers of BusyBox, stated at the time of the filing that, “If companies will not abide by the fair terms of our license, then we have no choice but to ask our attorneys to go to court to force them to do so.” Read a copy of the original complaint. Visit the official Software Freedom Law Center website.
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