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First Saturn 1B Rocket Launch
February 26, 1966 The first Saturn 1B rocket is launched from Cape Canaveral. The Saturn 1B was primarily used for testing the Apollo spacecraft while the larger Saturn V rocket that was necessary for travel to the Moon was being developed. Later, after completion of the Moon landing program, The Saturn 1B was used for…
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First Mobile Phone Virus
February 23, 2005 The discovery of the first mobile phone virus, Cabir, is accounced. Specifically, Cabir is a worm which infects phones running the Symbian OS. Whenever an infected phone is activated, the message “Caribe” is displayed. Infected phones also attempts to spread the virus through Bluetooth signals. Previous post: Radio Gets Controlled This Day…
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First Internet Only Bank
February 22, 1999 The First Internet Bank of Indiana opens, becoming the first full-service bank accessible only through the Internet. Who knew it would take a couple of hoosiers to start the first Internet bank? Previous post: Dolly Unveiled This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in Tech History.com
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First Telephone Book Published
February 21, 1878 The first telephone book is issued in New Haven, Connecticut by the New Haven Telephone Company. It lists twenty-one names. You probably have at least twice as many names in your cell phone today! Previous post: First Burglar Alarm Installed This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in…
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Space Station Mir is Launched
February 20, 1986 The Soviet Union launches the core module of the Mir space station. The core module will provide living quarters for the cosmonauts, including a galley, cooking elements, storage, individual crew cabins and personal hygiene area. Five additional modules will be launched between March 1987 and April 1996. This Day in Tech History…
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HD DVD Surrenders
February 19, 2008 The “war” over the High Definition successor to the DVD ends when the supporters of the HD DVD format discontinue it. The Sony-backed Blu-ray format had garnered the support of many players in the industry, leading to the demise of HD DVD. This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This…
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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