Learn an interesting fact to share with friends and increase your Geek Cred!
In 1979, Visicalc was released. VisiCalc was the first computer spreadsheet program and ran on an Apple II computer. VisiCalc introduced a new level in application software. Learn more at http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa010199.htm. In 1984, several ‘firsts’ occurred during the Space Shuttle Challenger mission. Marc Garneau became […]
Geek Facts for October 11th – VisiCalc and a Few Firsts in Space Read More »
In 1796, according to tradition, the metric system began to be used. The date, October 10th (10/10), was chosen because it was symbolic of the base 10 method of measuring with metric. Read about efforts to adopt the metric system in the U.S. at http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/usmetric.html.
In 2009, NASA’s LCROSS and a companion rocket stage impacted the Moon’s Cabeus crater. LCROSS stands for Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite. The dual impact lifted a plume of material, including grains of mostly pure water ice, that traveled nearly ten miles above the
In 1997, Yahoo! acquired Four11. Four11 was the creator Internet-based communications services such as net-phone software tools and RocketMail, a free Web-based service. Yahoo! Mail is based on RocketMail technology. Learn more at http://investor.yahoo.net/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=173315.
In 2002, Palm announced the Zire handheld computer. Priced at just $99, it was considered to be an entry-level Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and featured 2MB RAM, a 16MHz processor and a 160×160 pixel monochrome 1.9-inch LCD screen. Learn more at http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/palm-zire/4505-3126_7-20489893.html. In 1959, U.S.S.R.
Geek Facts for October 7th – Palm and the Far Side of the Moon Read More »
In 1831, mathematician Richard Dedekind was born. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Richard Dedekind “…was one of the greatest mathematicians of the nineteenth-century, as well as one of the most important contributors to number theory and algebra of all time.” Learn more at
In 1957, the Space Age began when Russia launched Sputnik I into Earth orbit. Sputnik I was the world’s first artificial satellite. It was about the size of a beach ball and weighed only 183.9 lbs. (83.6 kg.). It took about 98 minutes to orbit
Geek Facts for October 4th – Sputnik, HP and Palm Read More »
In 1995, Be introduced the BeBox. The BeBox featured two 66MHz PowerPC 603, up to 256MB RAM, 16-bit CD-quality sound and four serial ports. Despite advanced features in the BeBox operating system, it was unsuccessful mainly because it was not compatible with anything else in
In 1853, French astronomer and physicist François Jean Dominique Arago died. Arago originally supported the particle theory of light. In 1811, he conducted research along with Augustin-Jean Fresnel that changed his mind. They discovered that two beams of light polarized in perpendicular directions do not
In 1982, Sony launched the first consumer compact disc (CD) player in Japan. The CDP-101 was available in the US the following March for $1,000. A review in Stereophile magazine stated …some aspects of the sound I heard are quite unlike what most of us
Geek Facts for October 1st – The First CD Player, IBM, Purdue and NASA Read More »
In 1882, the world’s first hydroelectric power plant began operation on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin. Thomas Edison’s New York plant would use steam power to drive its generators whereas the Appleton plant used the natural energy of the Fox River. Learn more at
In 1983, Microsoft released a word processor called Word for MS-DOS 1.00. Microsoft provided a free demonstration copy with every copy of PC World magazine. It’s the first time that a magazine included a floppy disk. Learn more about Microsoft’s history at http://www.brighthub.com/computing/windows-platform/articles/45030.aspx. In 2008,
Geek Facts for September 29th – The First Word and Snow on Mars Read More »
In 1925, Seymour Cray, “the Father of Supercomputing”, was born. Seymour Cray designed a series of computers that were the fastest in the world for decades. He also founded the company, Cray Research. Seymour Cray died on October 5, 1996. Learn more at http://www.computer.org/portal/web/awards/seymourbio.
