Learn an interesting fact to share with friends and increase your Geek Cred!
In 1920, KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA went on the air as the first commercial radio station. KDKA signed on the air and, at 8:00 PM, began transmitting updates on the presidential election returns. Learn more at http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-30F.
In 1962, the Soviet space probe Mars 1 was launched. Mars 1 was the first attempt to probe Mars. Unfortunately, contact was lost with the spacecraft 60 million miles en route to Mars. Learn more at http://www.spacetoday.org/SolSys/Mars/MarsExploration/MarsProbesPast.html.
In 1956, George Dufek became the first American to land by air at the South Pole. Admiral George J. Dufek of the US Navy landed at the South Pole in an R4D-5L Skytrain (C-47 Skytrain) aircraft. Learn more at http://www.eoearth.org/article/South_Pole?topic=49460.
In 1888, John Loud was granted the first U.S. patent for a ballpoint pen. His design consisted of a tiny rotating ball bearing that was constantly coated with ink by a reservoir above it. While this invention worked for rough surfaces, it was not well
In 1998, John Glenn returned to space at the age of 77. John Glenn first made history in 1962 as the first American to orbit the Earth. As a Payload Specialist on the Space Shuttle Discovery, he became the oldest person to fly in space
In 2002, Palm introduced the Palm Tungsten T and Palm Tungsten W handheld computers. The Palm Tungsten T featured a 175 MHz ARM 925 processor, 16MB RAM, a voice recorder, Bluetooth wireless support, a 320×320 screen, a Secure Digital slot, and Palm OS 5.0 and
In 1997, Intel bought Digital Equipment’s semiconductor operations for $700 million. The purchase of the semiconductor unit was part of an agreement between the two companies. Some other aspects of the agreement were a 10-year patent cross license agreement and Digital developing a full line
In 1966, the first Pacific communications satellite, Intelsat 2, was launched. Launched for placement above the Pacific, Intelsat 2 failed to achieve synchronous orbit. Despite this, it was used to transmit live television and other communications traffic. Learn more at http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/bss/factsheets/376/intelsat_ii/intelsat_ii.html.
In 1955 , Tappan introduced the first domestic microwave oven. Priced at $1,295, the microwave oven had a stainless-steel exterior , an aluminum oven cavity with a glass shelf and two cooking speeds (500 or 800 watts). Learn more at http://www.enotes.com/microwave-oven-reference/microwave-oven-178049.
In 1861, the first transcontinental telegram was sent. The first transcontinental telegram was sent from Stephen J. Field, chief justice of California, to President Abraham Lincoln. Learn more at http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/western-union-completes-the-first-transcontinental-telegraph-line.
In 2001, the iPod was introduced. The iPod was a huge leap forward for MP3s with the ability to have “1,000 songs in your pocket” and, with iTunes, would later revolutionize the music industry. Learn more at http://lowendmac.com/orchard/05/origin-of-the-ipod.html.
In 1959, IBM released the IBM 1620 data processing system. The IBM 1620 was a small, transistorized inexpensive scientific computer that could perform more than 100,000 calculations a minute. In the eleven years that it was on the market, approximately two thousand units were sold.
In 1879, Thomas Alva Edison succeeded in producing a working prototype of the electric incandescent lamp. While, contrary to popular belief, Edison did not invent the light bulb, he developed the first one that was remotely practical for home use. He eventually invented an electric
In 1906, Dr. Lee DeForest announced his three-element electrical vacuum tube. Later known as the triode, it ushered in a new age of electronics through its use in the amplification of electrical signals. Learn more at http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Lee_De_Forest.
