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Sputnik Launches the Space Age
October 4, 1957 The first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth, Sputnik 1, is launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, marking what is now considered the beginning of the Space Age. Surprising the world with its successful launch, Sputnik triggered the Space Race between the Soviet Union and United States ushering in an era of rapid advancement…
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Transistor Patented
October 3, 1950 AT&T Bell Laboratories researchers John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley receive a US Patent for their invention of the transistor, which they had successfully demonstrated two years earlier. The transistor completely revolutionized the development of electronic and computerized technology. Previous post: ENIAC Retired This Day in Tech History
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ENIAC Retired
October 2, 1955 Considered the world’s first fully electronic computer, after eleven years of continuous service the ENIAC computer was retired from service. Previous post: The First CD Player This Day in Tech History
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Ethernet is Drafted
September 30, 1980 Digital, Intel, and Xerox release version 1.0 of the Ethernet specification, known as the Blue Book. Since that time, Ethernet has evolved into the de facto networking standard for local area networks (LAN) in businesses and in the home. Previous post: Microsoft Word 1.0 for DOS Next post: The First CD Player…
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Ethernet is Drafted
September 30, 1980 Digital, Intel, and Xerox release version 1.0 of the Ethernet specification, known as the Blue Book. Since that time, Ethernet has evolved into the de facto networking standard for local area networks (LAN) in businesses and in the home. Previous post: Microsoft Word 1.0 for DOS This Day in Tech History
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Microsoft Word 1.0 for DOS
September 29, 1983 Microsoft releases their first software application, Microsoft Word 1.0. For use with MS-DOS compatible systems, Word was the first word processing software to make extensive use of a computer mouse. Not coincidentally, Microsoft had released a computer mouse for IBM-compatible PCs earlier in the year. A demo version was also included for…
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Apple Asks Us to Think Different
September 28, 1997 Just a little over two weeks after naming Steve Jobs interim CEO, Apple launches their “Think Different” ad campaign. Designed to reintroduce the Apple brand, the campaign was nearly universally praised by the press, general public, and advertising industry, winning several awards along the way. Looking back in context, Think Different was…
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Google’s Fake Birthday
September 27th, 1998 For some peculiar reason, Google has at times chosen the date of September 27th as their birthday, even though it is more officially September 4th or 7th. Google has no explanation for celebrating their birthday on different days over the years other than to say: Google opened its doors in September 1998.…
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Concorde Breaks Atlantic Crossing Speed Record
September 26, 1973 The supersonic aircraft Concorde makes its first non-stop Atlantic crossing and sets a new speed record in the process. Flying from Washington D.C. to Paris, France in 3 hours 32 minutes at an average speed of 954 miles-per-hour, the Concorde cut the old speed record in half. This Day in Tech History
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The First Personal Computer You Never Heard Of
September 25, 1973 Micro Computer Machines of Canada introduces their MCM/70 microcomputer at a programmer’s user conference in Toronto. Possibly the earliest commercially manufactured device that can now be considered a personal computer, the MCM/70 gained customers at companies such as Chevron, Mutual Life Insurance, NASA, and the US Army. The company worked closely with…