1642
Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the oldest college in the United States, holds its first commencement exercises.
1837
Morse enters into an agreement with Alfred Vail, whose father owns Speedwell Iron Works. Morse develops his caveat showing the invention and alphabet code. It is sent to his old classmate and Commissioner of Patents, Henry L. Ellsworth, in Washington.
1846
German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle verifies the position of the eighth planet, Neptune, as predicted through astronomical calculations made by French astronomer Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier and British astronomer John Couch Adams. Galle discovers Neptune after only an hour of searching, within one degree of the position that had been computed by Le Verrier. Independently of the English astronomer John C. Adams, Le Verrier had calculated the size and position of a previously unknown planet, which he assumed influenced the irregular orbit of Uranus, and he asked Galle to look for it.
1848
John Curtis produces the first commercial chewing gum on a stove in his home in Bangor, Maine in the United States. He will market the product as “The State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum.”
1879
Richard S. Rhodes invents the Audiophone, the first hearing aid.
1884
Herman Hollerith patents his mechanical tabulating machine.
1889
Nintendo Koppai (Later Nintendo Company, Limited) is founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce and market the playing card game Hanafuda.
1930
In Germany, Johannes Ostermeier patents first commercially available photoflash bulb, which will be named the Vacublitz.
1951
The first transcontinental television relay is made by CBS from New York to the US west coast.
1962
The animated television series The Jetsons premieres on the ABC network. TV.com entry
1974
On the opening day of the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in London, the government sanctions and the BBC inaugurates a two-year experiment in Ceefax teletext of regular news and information bulletins, updated five times a day. The system has a capacity of only thirty pages initially.
Philips acquires American consumer electronics company Magnavox.
Philips and Music Corporation of America (MCA) agree on a merger of their respective video disc systems, Philips to produce and sell VLP hardware, MCA to develop and market Disco-Vision software.
1980
Rod Black confirms a non-exclusive licensing arrangement with Microsoft for 86-DOS. Microsoft will pay a US$10,000 fee for the right to distribute 86-DOS to an unlimited number of end users, and to sublicense 86-DOS to equipment manufacturers for US$10,000 (US$15,000 with source code).
1985
Apple Computer files a lawsuit against Steve Jobs, claiming that he secretly planned to form a company using several key Apple employees and technologies.
1987
Release 51 of the Infocom interactive fiction game Beyond Zork is published for personal computers. It is one of the last games in the Zork series published by Infocom. Later titles would be published by Activision after Infocom’s acquisition. It signifies a notable departure from the standard format of Infocom’s earlier games which relied purely on text and puzzle-solving. Beyond Zork is the first game in the Zork franchise and one of the first Infocom games to incorporate a crude on-screen map, the use of character statistics, levels, and RPG combat elements. It is Infocom’s twenty-ninth game.
1988
NEC releases the platform game Legendary Axe as Makyo Densetsu (“Demon Legend”) for the TurboGrafx 16 in Japan.
Universal Pictures releases the dramatic non-fiction film Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey, directed by Michael Apted and starring Sigourney Weaver, Bryan Brown, Julie Harris, and John Omirah Miluwi, to fifteen US theaters. It tells the true-life story of naturalist Dian Fossey, her work with gorillas, and her efforts to stop the decimation of the endangered species. The film will gross US$366,925 domestically in its opening weekend. On October 7, the film will be released to 1,085 theaters, and it will be gross US$4,042,940 in that opening weekend. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 hrs 10 min
1991
The Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Redemption (Part 2)” first airs. In it, a fleet of twenty Federation ships cut off Romulan support to the Duras family, resulting in Gowron’s installation as Chancellor. Memory Alpha entry
1994
Koei releases the dating sim game Angelique for the Super Famicom in Japan. Angelique is widely acknowledged to be the first otome game, a dating game geared toward the female market in which the goal is to develop a romantic relationship between the main character, a female character, and one of several male characters. The genre will go on to become very popular in Japan. CERO: 12
1997
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) announces the IBM WorkPad handheld computer, featuring 1MB RAM. Price: US$399 Weight: 6 ounces
Microsoft releases the first beta test of Windows NT 5.0 at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference.
1998
Electronic Arts releases a Special Edition of The Lost World: Jurassic Park for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in the US. It is based on the novel and film of the same name. ESRB: Teen
1999
Enix Corporation releases the roleplaying game (rpg) Dragon Warrior I & II for the Game Boy Color in Japan.
Intel tells PC vendors to delay shipments of computers with Pentium III processors using a 820 chipsets and Rambus DRAM, due to unresolved application and system crashes.
NASA announces that it has lost contact with the Mars Climate Orbiter, as it apparently burns up as it enters into orbit around the Red Planet.
2002
Capcom releases the platform game Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts for the Game Boy Advance in North America. ESRB: Everyone
Electronic Arts releases The Sims: Unleashed expansion pack for the The Sims for personal computers. ESRB: Teen (T) OFLC: G8+ PEGI: 12+
Electronic Arts releases the racing game Shox for the PlayStation 2 in Europe. PEGI: 3+
The first public version of the web browser Mozilla Firefox (“Phoenix 0.1″) is released.
Nintendo releases Star Fox Adventures for the Nintendo GameCube in North America. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: Teen (T)
THQ releases the roleplaying game (RPG) Summoner 2 for the PlayStation 2 in North America. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB Teen
2003
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) releases the 2000MHz Athlon 64 3200+ processor, featuring a 1024KB Level-2 Cache and an 800MHz Hyper Transport. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) also releases the 2200MHz Athlon 64 FX-51 processor, featuring a 1024KB Level-2 Cache and an 800MHz Hyper Transport. The Athlon 64 is AMD’s eighth-generation microprocessor architecture and the third series of processors to bear the name Athlon.
Konami releases DDRMAX2: Dance Dance Revolution for the PlayStation 2.
Microsoft releases the platform game Voodoo Vince for the XBox. In the game, Kosmo the Inscrutable steals the Zombie Dust and kidnaps Madam Charmaine, a stray ball of the Zombie Dust brings Vince to life. Now it’s up to Vince to save Madam Charmaine, and New Orleans, from the wrath of Kosmo. ESRB: Teen (T)
2004
Infogrames releases the Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark expansion pack for the roleplaying game (RPG) Neverwinter Nights for Windows in Japan. The expansion features a new campaign, six new prestige classes, the ability to hire two henchman at once, and the increase of the maximum attainable character level from twenty to forty. The Windows version also includes new scripting options for the Aurora toolkit. The six new prestige classes are: Champion of Torm, Dwarven Defender, Pale Master, Red Dragon Disciple, Shifter, and Weapon Master.
Nintendo releases Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen for the Game Boy Advance in Australia. Visit the game’s official website. OFLC: G8+
Wizards Of The Coast publishes the roleplaying game supplement Monster Manual III as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0786934301) Length: 224 pages
2005
Bandai releases the puzzle game Meteos for the Nintendo DS in Europe. The name of the game comes from the Japanese word “meteo”, which is a loanword from the English word meteor. Visit the game’s official website. PEGI: 3+
The BattleStar Galactica episode “Pegasus” first airs. (No. 210) In it, the fleet is exuberant with the arrival of the Battlestar Pegasus. However, Adama soon worries about Admiral Cain, Pegasus’s commanding officer and Adama’s superior, in command of the fleet.
Electronic Arts releases the racing game Burnout Revenge for the PlayStation 2 and XBox in Europe. It is is the fourth video game in the Burnout series. Revenge boasts a number of improvements in graphics, game physics, rival AI, as well as the ability to utilize traffic as a weapon (Traffic Checking). Visit the game’s official website. BBFC: U PEGI: 3+
Koei releases Dynasty Warriors 5 for the Xbox in the UK. It is based on the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong.
Konami releases the first person shooter Coded Arms for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Europe. Visit the game’s official website. PEGI: 12+
Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) releases Everybody’s Golf 4 for the PlayStation 2 in Europe. PEGI: 12+
Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) releases the sports game EyeToy: Kinetic for the PlayStation 2 in Europe. PEGI: 3+
THQ releases the fighting game WWE Day of Reckoning 2 for the GameCube in the UK. PEGI: 16+
THQ releases the platform game Scooby-Doo! Unmasked for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, and Xbox in Europe. In it, Scooby-Doo and the gang are visiting Fred’s cousin Jed at his factory Monstrous Fright and Magic. When they arrive, Jed is missing, and his animatronics have gone haywire. Winslow Stanton tells them Jed is a thief and has stolen his mubber and animatronics. Scooby and the gang explore different areas in search of Jed. PEGI: 3+
Ubisoft releases Myst V: End of Ages for Windows in Europe. It is the fifth and final installment in the Myst computer game series. Visit the game’s official website. PEGI: 7+
2006
The animated series Legion of Super Heroes premieres on the CW network in the US. The series is based on characters appearing in DC Comics. In it, a group of teenagers from the 31st century travel back in time to recruit Superman in their fight against evil in their time. Unfortunately, they go too far back, to a time when Clark Kent was young and Superman doesn’t yet exist. Taking him back to their future, the young Superman helps the Legion in fighting evil and upholding the laws of the United Planets. Visit the series’ official website.
Japan’s Solar-B mission is launched from the Uchinoura Space Center. With its successful launch, it is rechristened “Hinode”.
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