Geek Facts

In 1784, German astronomer and mathematician Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel was born. Bessel was the first to measure stellar parallax, an apparent change in a star’s position as a result of the Earth orbiting the Sun. Learn more at http://science.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/famous-scientists/astronomers/friedrich-wilhelm-bessel-info.htm

In 2011, NASA’s Space Shuttle program ended with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis. NASA’s shuttle fleet – Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour – flew a total of 135 missions. Learn more at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/

In 1968, 
Andy Grove, Gordon Moore, and Robert Noyce found microprocessor manufacturer NM Electronics. The name was taken from Noyce (N) and Morse (M). They quickly changed the name to Intel, formed from the first syllables of “integrated electronics”. Learn more at http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/84/Intel-Corporation.html

In 1850,
 The Harvard Observatory photographed a star for the first time in history. The star was Vega in the constellation Lyra. Lyra is a small constellation, quite easily identified as it appears to consist of an equilateral triangle attached to a parallelogram. Its brightest

In 1951, Dan Bricklin, “the father of the spreadsheet”, was born. Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston created Visicalc, the first spreadsheet program for personal computers. Visicalc was first released for the Apple II in November of 1979. Priced at $100, it sold so well that

In 1975, the Space Race: Apollo–Soyuz Test Project featured the dual launch of an Apollo spacecraft and a Soyuz spacecraft.  It was both the last launch of an Apollo spacecraft and the Saturn family of rockets. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the first joint Soviet-US

In 1914, Dr. Robert H. Goddard patented liquid rocket fuel on this day. Dr. Goddard is considered the father of practical modern rocketry and space flight. His most important experimental breakthrough was in 1926, when he built and tested the first successful liquid-fueled rocket. Learn

In 1897, 
Guglielmo Marconi received a patent on the process of “Transmitting Electrical Signals”. This eventually lead to the development of a wireless telegraph system, for which Marconi received a patent in 1901. Learn more at http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1909/marconi-bio.html

In 1982, Hewlett-Packard (HP) introduced the HP-86 microcomputer. In addition to an interface for a 9” or 12” external monitor, the HP-86 also had built-in interfaces for two HP 9130A disc drives and a Centronics-compatible printer. The HP-86 came standard with 64K ROM and 48K

In 2008, Apple’s iPhone 3G went on sale. Apple sold more than 1 million devices in its first three days, a feat that, according to Steve Jobs, took the original iPhone 74 days to accomplish. Learn more at http://www.thestreet.com/s/apples-iphone-3g-passes-1-million-mark/newsanalysis/techtelecom/10426218.html In 1979, Skylab entered the atmosphere

In 1989
, Intel publicly demonstrated the first EISA 82350 chip set. Intel’s 82350 Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) family was the industry’s first set of devices to implement the new 32-bit EISA bus. Learn more at http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/accession/102652375

In 1802, Thomas Davenport, inventor of the first commercial electric motor, was born. While experimenting in 1834, Thomas Davenport developed what is known today as the DC motor. It took him three years to patent his motor. At first, the U.S. Patent Office denied his