Geek Facts

In 1989, hundreds of IBM computers across Britain were hit by the “Friday the 13th” virus. The virus wiped out program files and caused considerable anxiety at a time when large-scale computer viruses were a relatively new threat. Learn more at http://articles.latimes.com/1989-01-13/news/mn-402_1_computer-virus

In 1853, Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, an Italian mathematician, was born. He was instrumental in the development of absolute differential calculus, formerly called the Ricci calculus, but now known as tensor analysis. Learn more at http://www.gap-system.org/~history/Biographies/Ricci-Curbastro.html In 2001, William Hewlett died at age 87. William Hewlett and

In 1997, the Telstar 401 satellite failed due to an electric discharge during a geomagnetic storm. Telstar 401 was the first of AT&T’s next generation of video- and data-communications satellites. Learn more at http://sirius-c.ncat.edu/space/Space-Weather/poetry/storm1/t401lau2.html

January 10th proved to be monumental date for the companies America Online, Time, Inc. and Warner Communications. On this date in 1990, Time Inc. acquired Warner Communications for $14.1 billion. Thus began Time Warner, one of the world’s largest media and entertainment conglomerates. Also on

In 2007, Steve Jobs announced Apple’s iPhone at the Macworld keynote address. Arguably, the iPhone revolutionized the cell phone industry. While there were ‘smartphones’ available prior to the iPhone (BlackBerry, Palm), they couldn’t compare to the aesthetics, features and easy of use of the iPhone.

In 1889, Dr. Herman Hollerith received the first U.S. patent for a tabulating machine. Herman Hollerith is widely regarded as the father of modern automatic computation. He founded the company that was to become IBM. Learn more at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/computinghistory/hollerith.html In 1923, Joseph Wiezenbaum, artificial intelligence

In 1904, the Marconi Company established “CQD” as the first International radio distress signal. Although generally accepted to mean, “Come Quick Danger,” it is a general call, “CQ,” followed by “D,” meaning distress. Read more about CQD at http://www.telegraph-office.com/pages/arc2-2.html In 1992, AT&T released the first

In 1838, Samuel Morse made the first public demonstration of the telegraph. The demonstration occurred the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey. It was another six years before sent his famous “What hath God wrought!” telegraph. Read more about Samuel Morse at http://www.notablebiographies.com/Mo-Ni/Morse-Samuel-F-B.html#b In

In 1940, the Federal Communications Commission got its first demonstration of FM radio by Major Edwin H. Armstrong. According to Major Armstrong’s niece, Jeanne Hammond: Another inventor, Lee DeForest, challenged Armstrong’s priority for this discovery and the issue was twice argued before the US Supreme

In 1958, Sputnik 1 reentered the earth’s atmosphere and burned up. Launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, it was the first artificial satellite in history. Learn more about Sputnik 1 at http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal100/sputnik.html In 1959, Luna 1 became the first spacecraft to reach

In 1825, the first engineering college in the United States, Rensselaer School, opened in Troy, New York.  The school opened on Monday, January 3, 1825 at the Old Bank Place. It is now known as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Learn more about Rensselaer at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Rensselaer_Polytechnic_Institute In

In 1839, the first photo of the Moon was taken by French photographer Louis Daguerre. This is the earliest known photograph of the Moon, a daguerrotype photograph taken in 1851 by John Adams Whipple. Daguerre’s photograph was destroyed in 1839 when a fire burned his

In 1992, computer scientist Admiral Grace Murray Hopper died. Born December 9th, 1906, perhaps her best-known contribution to computing was the invention of the compiler, the intermediate program that translates English language instructions into the language of the target computer. Learn more about Admiral Hopper

In 1744, James Bradley announced the discovery of Earth’s motion of nutation, or wobble. James Bradley discovered nutation, the oscillation of the earth’s axis, caused by the changing direction of the gravitational pull of the moon on the equatorial bulge. Learn more at http://www.answers.com/topic/james-bradley