Archive for January 2024
The Beginning of Time?
January 1, 1970
Unix epoch time begins at 00:00:00 UTC/GMT. Basically, UNIX operating systems count time in seconds starting from midnight January 1, 1970 Greenwich Mean Time. Yeah, this is beyond the threshold of geekiness for most of you, but don’t come crying to me when the Y2K38 problem bites you in the butt.
ENIAC Completed
January 1, 1946
ENIAC, the first fully electronic computer, is completed by its designers John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert. It would later be unveiled to the public on February 14th.
Hewlett and Packard Formalize Partnership
January 1, 1939
Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard formalize their business partnership. They decide to name the company after themselves, but choose the order of their names by a coin toss. Hewlett-Packard had a 50/50 chance of being named Packard-Hewlett.
First Ball Drop in Times Square, NYC
January 1, 1908
For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York City‘s Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight.