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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…
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Google Maps is Unleashed
February 8, 2005 Google Maps is launched to the public. I never had to ask for directions again. Not that I did before. Previous post: 24 Hours in Cyberspace This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in Tech History.com
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V.90 Announced
February 6, 1998 The V.90 modem standard is announced and agreed upon. This ended a couple of years of customer confusion, as two competing 56k modem protocols (K56Flex and X2) were in common use at the time. The V.90 standard unified the protocols and was crafted specifically to allow both types of modems to be…
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First Victoria’s Secret Webcast
February 5, 1999 Victoria’s Secret holds their first annual online fashion show. The event attracts 1.5 million visitors. While the technology was no where near as advanced as it was today, it was considered the first major successful webcast. Previous post: Apollo 14 Lands on Moon This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by…
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First Woman to Pilot the Space Shuttle
February 3, 1995 Astronaut Eileen Collins becomes the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle as mission STS-63 gets underway from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Previous post: Genesis of “Vaporware” This Day in Tech History