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Microsoft Introduces BASIC for 8086
June 18, 1979 In use at the time by over 200,000 computers with the Z80 and 8080 processors, Microsoft BASIC is introduced for the 8086 16-bit microprocessor. By being one of the first to offer a version of the BASIC programming language for a 16-bit processor and making it compatible with their 8-bit versions of BASIC,…
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DES Cracked
June 17, 1997 A group of users organized over the Internet cracked the Data Encryption Standard — the strongest legally exportable encryption software in the United States — after five months of work. The United States bans stronger encryption software out of fear that it would be used by terrorists, but companies designing the software say such…
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Ford Motor Company Incorporated
June 16, 1903 Henry Ford incorporates the Ford Motor Company with ten investors and $ 28,000. Ford will begin building automobiles on Mack Avenue in Detroit in a converted factory that previously produced wagons. The post Ford Motor Company Incorporated appeared first on This Day in Tech History. This Day in Tech History Tech History…
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Gates Announces Transition from Microsoft
June 15, 2006 Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft (Steve Ballmer was CEO at this point) announces that he will transition out of his day-to-day role at Microsoft by July 2008 in order to dedicate more time to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The post Gates Announces Transition from Microsoft appeared first on This Day…
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Charles Babbage Unveils Difference Engine
June 14, 1822 Charles Babbage unveils his design for a machine he called the Difference Engine, the first example of a mechanical computing machine. The British government funded the building of a Difference Engine, which Babbage never actually completed. However, Babbage’s design for the Difference Engine and his later Analytical Engine spurred future designs of…
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Charles Babbage Unveils Difference Engine
June 14, 1822 Charles Babbage unveils his design for a machine he called the Difference Engine, the first example of a mechanical computing machine. The British government funded the building of a Difference Engine, which Babbage never actually completed. However, Babbage’s design for the Difference Engine and his later Analytical Engine spurred future designs of…
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First Man-Made Object to Leave Solar System
June 13, 1983 The NASA space probe Pioneer 10 crosses the orbit of Neptune, becoming the first man-made object to leave the Solar System. It was launched on March 2, 1972 toward the red star Aldebaran, which forms the eye of the constellation Taurus. The last contact with Pioneer 10 was on January 23, 2003. …
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Launch of Venera 4
June 12, 1967 The Soviet probe Venera 4 is successfully launched. On October 18, 1967, it will enter Venus’ atmosphere where it will become the first space probe to successfully return atmospheric data from another planet. The post Launch of Venera 4 appeared first on This Day in Tech History. This Day in Tech History Tech…
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Speak & Spell
June 11, 1978 Texas Instruments Inc. introduces the Speak & Spell, a talking educational toy for children. The device features the first electronic duplication of the human voice on a single chip of silicon. It transformed digital information processed through a filter into synthetic speech and could store more than 100 seconds of linguistic sounds.…
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Crossing the Atlantic With Cable
June 10, 1858 Two ships head out to begin work on what will become the first operational Transatlantic cable. Previous attempts at laying a Transatlantic cable had failed. Designed for telegraph operation, the cable run is completed on August 5th and the first test message is sent on August 12th. However, the cable fails on…