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Microwave Oven Patented
January 24, 1950 The original microwave oven patent was issued to Percy LeBaron Spencer under the title “Method of Treating Foodstuffs.” Five years earlier, Spencer accidentally discovered that microwave energy could heat food when a chocolate bar in his pocket melted while he was experimenting with a microwave tube. Microwave tubes were originally designed for…
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Neon Lighting Tube Patented
January 19, 1915 The neon-lighting tube was patented by Frenchman Georges Claude. In 1923, Georges Claude and his French company Claude Neon, introduced neon gas signs to the United States, by selling two to a Packard car dealership in Los Angeles for $ 1,250 apiece. Neon lighting quickly became a popular fixture in outdoor advertising. Neon Lighting Tube…
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Adding Machine Patented
January 13, 1874 The U.S. Patent Office issues a patent for the Spalding Adding Machine. The precursor of calculators and computers, mechanical adding machines could do simple arithmetic and were popular in businesses until supplanted by computers in the 1960s. Adding Machine Patented is original content of This Day in Tech History. This Day in…
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Punched Card Calculator Patented
January 8, 1889 Herman Hollerith is issued a US patent for his punched card calculator. 7 years later he starts a company called the Tabulating Machine Company. In 1911, this is one of 4 companies that merge to form the company that will one day be called IBM. Punched Card Calculator Patented is original content of…
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4 Wheeled Skates Patented in US
January 4, 1863 4 wheeled roller skates are patented in the United States by James Plimpton of New York. Plimpton’s design was the first dry-land skate that could maneuver in a smooth curve and which allowed for turns and the ability to skate backwards. 4 Wheeled Skates Patented in US is original content of This Day in…
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4 Wheeled Skates Patented in US
January 4, 1863 4 wheeled roller skates are patented in the United States by James Plimpton of New York. Plimpton’s design was the first dry-land skate that could maneuver in a smooth curve and which allowed for turns and the ability to skate backwards. 4 Wheeled Skates Patented in US is original content of This Day in…
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MP3 Patented in US
There is no official logo for MPEG Audio Layer III, otherwise known as MP3 November 26, 1996 United States Patent 5,579,430 is granted to the Fraunhofer Institut in Germany for a “digital encoding process”, the technology used in MEPG Audio Layer III, more commonly known as MP3. MP3 technology paved the way for the digital music…
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Computer Mouse Patented
November 17, 1970 Douglas Engelbart receives US patent 3,541,541 for his “X-Y Position Indicator For A Display System”, more commonly known as the computer mouse. Engelbart called his device a “mouse” because the cord looked like a tail. The mouse was first prototyped in 1964, but wasn’t demoed until 1968, and was not included with a commercial…
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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. Transistor Patented is original content of This Day in Tech History. This Day…