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1984 Commercial Introduces the Macintosh
January 22, 1984 Apple Computer broadcasts their now-famous “1984” commercial introducing the Macintosh, during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. It was the first and last time the ad was truly broadcast. However, it is a little-known piece of trivia that the ad was aired one other time at 1 AM on December 15, 1983…
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Twitter.com is Born
January 21, 2000 The domain name twitter.com was registered. However, it wasn’t until 2006 that the domain was purchased by Twitter, Inc. and took the form we know today. Previous post: It Could Go at Least 88 MPH This Day in Tech History
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The Happy99 Worm Appears
January 20, 1999 The Happy99 worm first appeared. It invisibly attached itself to emails, displayed fireworks to hide the changes being made, and wished the user a happy New Year. It was the first of a wave of malware that struck Microsoft Windows computers over the next several years, costing businesses and individuals untold amounts…
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IBM Loses $5 Billion
January 19, 1993 IBM announces a nearly $ 5 billion loss for fiscal year 1992. Several years of losses in the early 1990′s were the result of sweeping changes to the computer industry in the 1980′s that IBM was slow to recognize. Ironically, the biggest catalyst to this change was the rise of the personal…
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The Superjumbo is Unveiled
January 18, 2005 The Airbus A380, the world’s largest commercial jet and nicknamed the “Superjumbo”, is unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse, France. Previous post: Yahoo.com Registered This Day in Tech History
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Drudge Report Legitimizes Internet Reporting
January 17, 1998 Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky affair on his website The Drudge Report. This incident brought to the limelight the emerging Internet news industry. Almost overnight it seems, traditional news media, especially newspapers, begin to lose ground to Internet news sources. This Day in Tech History
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Space Shuttle Columbia Launches for Final Time
January 16, 2003 Famous for being the first Space Shuttle ever to be launched (mission STS-1), the Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107. This mission would prove to be its final one as Columbia disintegrated 16 days later on re-entry. Previous post: Soyuz 4 & 5 Make History This Day in Tech History
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Wikipedia Goes Online; Bookshelves Clear Up
January 15, 2001 Wikipedia, a free Wiki content encyclopedia, goes online. Door-to-door encyclopedia salespeople mourn while bookshelves everywhere suddenly have more room for other books. Previous post: NCSA Opens This Day in Tech History
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Bill Gates Steps Aside
January 13, 2000 Microsoft chairman Bill Gates steps aside as chief executive and promotes company president Steve Ballmer to the position. Gates would stay on as “chief software architect” until June of 2008 before finally giving up day-to-day responsibilities at Microsoft. Gates is still Microsoft’s chairman of the board. Previous post: Friday the 13th Virus…
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Apple Posts Major Loss
January 12, 1996 Apple Computer announces that it will post a US$ 68 million first quarter loss. It also announces a restructuring plan to reduce the company by a thousand employees. This event leads to the resignation of Apple CEO Michael Spindler, who is replaced by Gil Amelio. Gil Amelio eventually purchases Steve Jobs’ company,…