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Apple and Microsoft Call Truce
August 6, 1997 At the Macworld Expo in Boston, Steve Jobs announces that Apple and Microsoft have signed a five-year alliance. Bill Gates famously makes his seemingly ominous “big brother” appearance on the large presentation screen during the announcement. As part of the deal, Microsoft committed to continuing development of Microsoft Office for Mac over…
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First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable Completed
August 5, 1858 After four failed attempts, American merchant Cyrus West Field succeeds in completing the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable. Completed approximately two months after construction began, the cable is only operational for just over a month. However, this cable proved the feasibility of transatlantic communications and Cyrus West Field raised new funds to complete the first permanent…
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NASA Launches Phoenix
August 4, 2007 NASA launches the Mars Phoenix lander. Phoenix would become the first spacecraft to land on the Martian arctic surface. Its mission was to dig for ice and assess if the Martian arctic ever had conditions that could have supported life. NASA Launches Phoenix is original content of This Day in Tech History.…
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Apple Introduces the Newton
August 3, 1993 Apple introduces the Newton MessagePad, one of the world’s first Personal Digital Assistants (PDA). The term PDA was first used by Apple CEO John Scully in 1992. While a commercial failure, the Newton platform set the bar for future PDA designs. But perhaps the most important advancement the Newton offered to the…
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First San Francisco Cable Car
August 2, 1873 The Clay Street Railroad begins operation, making it the first cable car in San Francisco’s now famous cable car system. First San Francisco Cable Car is original content of This Day in Tech History. This Day in Tech History Tech History provided by This Day in Tech History.com
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The Final End of the Lisa
August 1, 1986 Apple discontinues production of the Macintosh XL, effectively ending the life of the Apple Lisa computer platform. In January of 1985, the Macintosh line of computers was gaining momentum but the Lisa line of computers was not selling well. In order to salvage what they could from the Lisa and offer a…
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First Man to Drive on the Moon
July 31, 1971 Using the battery-powered Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), Astronaut David Scott of the Apollo 15 mission becomes the first person to drive a vehicle on the Moon. The LRV was used during the last three missions to the Moon, Apollo 15, 16, and 17. The three LRVs used during the missions still remain on the surface of…
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Apple Lisa is Born
July 30, 1979 Apple begins work on the Lisa, which would become the world’s first commercial computer with a graphical user interface. Originally intended to sell for $ 2,000 and ship in 1981, the Lisa is delayed until 1983 and sells for $ 10,000. Utilizing technology that is ahead of its time, the high cost,…
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IBM’s First Desktop Computer
July 28, 1981 IBM introduces their System/23 Datamaster desktop computer, only two weeks before they introduce their IBM PC. Geared towards small business for use as a word processor and data processor, the computer was designed to be set up by end-users without the need of a computer specialist. While now a footnote in history, the…
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Microsoft Buys Full Rights to 86-DOS
July 27, 1981 About two weeks before IBM begins shipping the first IBM PC, Microsoft buys the full rights to the operating system 86-DOS, formerly known as QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System), from Seattle Computer Products for $ 50,000. Microsoft had previously paid $ 25,000 to SCP for a non-exclusive license in December 1980…