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First Flight of Space Shuttle – Just Not Into Space
February 18, 1977 The first Space Shuttle orbiter, the Enterprise, embarks on its maiden flight in “captive mode,” attached to the top of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The flight is the first of five captive flights before the orbiter is finally released to land on its own. The nine month test program is conducted…
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Windows 2000 Introduced
February 17, 2000 Microsoft introduces the latest version of the Windows NT line of operating systems, Windows 2000. While Windows 2000 did bring plug and play to the Windows NT line, it was targeted to the business market and not the consumer. It was not until Windows XP that Microsoft merged the NT line with…
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IBM Portable PC Introduced
February 16, 1984 IBM introduces the IBM Portable Personal Computer, an early portable computer. It featured a 4.77MHz Intel 8088 processor, 256KB RAM, a 9 inch amber monitor, a 5.25″ floppy drive, and the DOS 2.1 operating system. It weighed 30 pounds and cost $ 2,795. Try setting that on your lap. Previous post: The…
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Windows Refund Day
February 15, 1999 Hundreds of computer owners (dominated by Linux users) march on Microsoft’s offices demanding refunds for the copies of Windows that came pre-installed on their computers. This day came to be known as Windows Refund Day. This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in Tech History.com
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First Modern GPS Satellite Launches
February 14, 1989 The first of 24 Block-II GPS satellites was launched. Block-II were the first modern GPS satellites that form the modern GPS system we know today. This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in Tech History.com
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1234567890 Day!
February 13, 2009 Unix time passed 1,234,567,890 seconds at exactly 23:31:30 (UTC). Hey, geeks gotta have a reason to party too! Previous post: Apollo Computer Incorporated This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in Tech History.com
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Spacecraft Lands on an Asteroid
February 12, 2001 The NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touches down in the “saddle” region of asteroid 433 Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid. Previous post: She Was Also Famous for Tennis This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in Tech History.com
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Discovery Launches to Service Hubble
February 11, 1997 The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. This was the second of five missions necessary to fix the flawed telescope. In most states, the entire thing could have been replaced as a lemon. This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in…
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Satellites Collide!
February 10, 2009 The communication satellites Iridium 33 and Kosmos-2251 collide in orbit, destroying both. This was the first major collision of satellites in Earth orbit. This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in Tech History.com
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Introduction of the Bandai Pippin
February 9, 1996 The Bandai Pippin is introduced. A little-known “multimedia device” using technology licensed from Apple Computer, it was an ill-fated attempt at a home video game console. It was 22nd on PC World’s list of the “25 Worst Tech Products of All Time”. Previous post: First Flight of Boeing 747 This Day in…