1858
Donati’s comet discovered by Giovanni Battista Donati, becomes the first comet to be photographed. It is a bright comet that developed a spectacular curved dust tail with two thin gas tails, captured by an English commercial photographer, William Usherwood, using a portrait camera.
1944
The first musical comedy on television, Boys from Boise, is broadcast in the U.S.
1950
The first made for television movie, Dinner Date with Death, in the UK is screened by broadcast on the BBC.
1959
The Explorer VI satellite discovers an intense radiation belt around Earth and takes the first remote television footage of Earth’s meteorological conditions.
1969
A meteorite falls over Murchison, Australia. Only 100kg of the meteorite will be found. Classified as a carbonaceous chondrite, type II (CM2). The meteorite is suspected to have originated with a comet because of its high twelve percent water content. The discover of more than ninety-two different amino acids within the meteorite will lead to an intense study by researchers attempting to discover the meteorite’s origins. Nineteen of the amino acids are found on Earth, but the remaining amino acids have no apparent terrestrial source.
1980
At Microsoft, Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Kay Nishi make the final decision to accept an IBM contract to produce languages and an operating system for IBM’s new microcomputer.
1981
Atari hosts a luncheon meeting for distributors in San Francisco, California to officially introduce Tempest featuring Atari’s newly developed QuadraScan Color Display system and Skill-Step feature.
1982
According to Twin Galaxies, Shawn Dybdall, age 16, scores a record-setting 12,822,460 points on Atari’s Dig Dug after playing the game for eight hours and sixteen minutes at the Tilt Arcade in Las Vegas, Nevada. Much later, on July 6, 2000, Mark Longridge will write, “I can say as an expert player, and as an owner of the machine, that 12 million points is 100% impossible. This is because round 256 (round 0 in 8-bit logic) is a “kill screen,” that is a screen which is impossible to clear. It’s impossible to clear because one of the pookas starts the round on top of your game, and the collision detection of the program doesn’t allow you to pump up anything right on top of you… My own personal best was 2.7 million set at Funspot in Weir’s Beach, New Hampshire, early this year. I have a 2.5 million on video tape.” Visit the official Twin Galaxies website.
The New York Times reports that Atari has lost more than US$310 million in only three months, and that Atari’s El Paso plant is being converted into a recycling center. Atari will rapidly fade from popularity, and Atari’s disposal of six million E.T. cartridges in a remote desert dump the day before will become a symbol to America’s media, investors, and consumers that the video game boom is, at least temporarily, over.
1987
Hackers from Brooklyn penetrate MILNET, accessing at least one computer. The breach will lead to the Department of Defense severing the links between the unclassified Military Network, or Milnet, and Arpanet, the early Internet.
The science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation premieres with the episode Encounter at Farpoint first airs. In it, the crew of the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise-D is challenged by Q, an omnipotent extradimensional being, to solve the mystery of a strange base in a manner that proves humanity’s worth. The episode will later be broken into two part for syndication, but for its premiere, it is shown in its full two-hour entirety. The series will run for seven seasons, for a total of 178 episodes. Memory Alpha entry
1990
Nintendo releases the puzzle game Tetris for the Game Boy in Europe. It is a portable version of the Tetris game originally developed by Alexey Pajitnov. It is the first game compatible with the Game Boy Game Link Cable, a pack-in accessory that allows two Game Boys to link together for multiplayer purposes.
1992
Midway Amusement Games releases version 4.0 of Mortal Kombat to arcades in the US.
1994
The Atari Corporation and Sega announce a US$90 million settlement regarding possible patent infringements. Terms include US$50 million (less attorney fees) in prepaid royalties to Atari in exchange for more than seventy US patents and applications. Sega also receives 4.7 million shares or 7.4% of Atari in the arrangement for an additional US$40 million.
1995
The USA Video &a,p; PC Game Mall Tour ‘95 opens their third weekend at the Town Center at Cobb in Kennesaw, Georgia.
1997
Apple Computer launches the “Think Different” marketing campaign. The campaign features television commercials in which a free-verse poem written by copywriter Craig Tanimoto of the the Chiat/Day ad agency is read by Richard Dreyfuss. “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.” The ad campaign will be a success for the company in every sense. It will be well-received by the press and highly effective in its purpose of raising the company’s profile. The campaign itself will also win numerous awards within the advertising community. The campaign’s slogan, “Think Different” is a play on the much earlier slogan “IBM Think” previous coined by Thomas J. Watson. Watch the original television advertisement at YouTube.
1998
The Microsoft Internet Explorer overtakes the Netscape Navigator to become the world’s leading web browser for the first time.
Microsoft pulls Office 97 Service Release 2 from distribution, to fix reported problems with the software’s installation.
PC Data, an industry sales audit bureau, announces that they have added eleven new retailers to their auditing network bringing the total to forty-nine. The new retailers include beyond.com, Buy Direct/CNET, Circuit City, Computer Discount Warehouse, The Future Shop, Hastings, Insight Enterprises, Internet Shopping Network, OfficeMax, Scholastic, and TEC Direct.
2000
Apple Computer announces that it will fall short of revenue and profit expectations for the period spanning July to September. As a result of the announcement, the price of Apple stock drops fifty-two percent to US$25.
Compaq Computer chairman Benjamin Rosen resigns.
2001
At a court hearing, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly strongly suggests that Microsoft and the US Department of Justice settle their antitrust case, rather than proceed in court. The judge gives them until November 2 to settle the case.
Eidos Interactive releases the real-time tactics game Commandos 2: Men of Courage for Windows in Europe. USK: 16+
2002
The Andromeda episode “The Shards Of Rimni” first airs. In it, Commonwealth Security considers Dylan the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Jim Benson announces that he is founding the Benson Space Company with the intention of being first to market with the safest and lowest cost suborbital personal spaceflight launches, using the vertical takeoff and horizontal landing Dream Chaser vehicle based on the NASA HL-20 Personnel Launch System.
2004
Ace Books releases the science fiction novel Heart of Gold by Sharon Shinn. (ISBN 0-441-00821-6) The story occurs on an unnamed world in an unnamed city where three races, the Indigo, Gullden, and Albino, live together. The books focuses on conflicts between the aristocratic, pastoral Indigo and the clanish, technical Gullden. The story follows Nolan Adelpho, an Indigo scientist, and Kitrini Candachi, a mixed Ingido and Gullden aristocrat, through the tensions and conflicts that are occurring as their city and cultures change. Length: 341
Capcom releases Disney’s Aladdin for the Game Boy Advance in the US.
Crave Entertainment releases the third-person shooter Trigger Man for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. In 2004, Nintendo Power will rate the game Worst Game of The Year. Writer Alan Averill will say of it, “If I had a choice between playing Trigger Man and getting kicked in the junk, I’d seriously have to think about it.” ESRB: T (Teen)
Sierra Entertainment releases Evil Genius for personal computers. In the game, the player is an evil genius of a criminal organization referred to simply as “the evil organization,” plotting to take over the world, from the safety of an evil lair built in the caverns of a mountain hideout. ESRB: T (Teen) PEGI:12+
Ubisoft releases Myst IV: Revelation for Windows in Germany. Visit the game’s official website. PEGI: 7+
Ubisoft releases the fighting game Rocky Legends for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in North America. It is based on the Rocky movies. ESRB: T (Teen)
Ubisoft releases the racing game The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is the third game based on the popular Dukes of Hazzard television show. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everyone) PEGI: 12+
The US House of Representatives passes the Family Movies Act of 2004 as part of Bill HR 4077 “to enhance criminal enforcement of the copyright laws, to educate the public about the application of copyright law to the Internet, and for other purposes.” The Bill is sent to the Senate. The Family Movies Act indemnifies technologies and companies that re-edit films to excise “offending” scenes and dialog, a practice to which the Directors Guild of America (DGA) objects. This has been amalgamated in HR 4077 with measures to prevent piracy, which the film industry supports. Read more at the Library of Congress.
2005
The eDonkey 2000 shuts down pursuant to a cease and desist letter MetaMachine, the network client’s developer, received from the RIAA following a US Supreme Court ruling against Grokster that set a precedent by which makers of software that facilitates copyright infringement could be held liable for that infringement. However, the eDonkey Network remains available through other clients, such as aMule, eMule, MLDonkey, or Shareaza and other server based software.
The Lost episode “Adrift” first airs. (No. 26) In it, Michael, Jin and Sawyer drift back to shore, but meet a group who they believe to be more of the Others. In the hatch, Desmond forces Locke to push Hurley’s numbers into a computer. Flashbacks show Michael losing custody of a two-year old Walt to Walt’s mother.
Konami releases the music game Dance Dance Revolution EXTREME 2 for the PlayStation 2 in North America. It is the tenth home version of Dance Dance Revolution to be released in the United States. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E10+ (Everyone 10+)
Ubisoft releases Heroes of the Pacific for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the US.
2006
Hewlett-Packard (HP) announces that it will expand into the gaming market with the acquisition and integration of Canadian computer manufacturer VoodooPC for an undisclosed sum. The same day, Rahul Sood, founder of VoodooPC, announces the acquistion in his blog and explains that he and his brother Ravi, who co-founded the company, have been considering the move for over a year. He explains that, after more than a year of exploring the possibility of a merger with Dell and various Taiwanese manufacturers, the two finally settled on HP because of the “treasure trove of product innovations” produced by HP Labs. To the press he says, “Our passion has been to design the highest performance, personalised PCs. Our customers should continue to expect the highest level of personalised configurations, service and quality. The benefits of this acquisition to VoodooPC are immense, not least of which is having a direct conduit to HP’s unparalleled innovation and international presence.” As part of the acquisition, Rahul will become HP’s Chief Technology Officer for the newly integrated Global Voodoo Business Unit. The acquisition will be completed in early November.
Koei releases Samurai Warriors 2 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 in Australia.
Nintendo releases Pokémon Diamond and Pearl for the Nintendo DS in Japan. CERO: A
Square-Enix releases the arcade shooter Project Sylpheed for the XBox 360 in Japan. Visit the game’s official website. CERO: B
Ubisoft releases the tactical shooter Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. CERO: C
Version 6.0 of the Microsoft Messenger for Mac is released.
XSEED Games releases the roleplaying game (RPG) Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Japan. Visit the game’s official website.
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