Archive for 2024
Kodak Releases DC40
March 28, 1995
Kodak releases the DC40 camera, which is only the second digital camera for the consumer market. While introduced over a year after Apple’s QuickTake 100 camera, it was Kodak’s marketing that was largely responsible for popularizing digital photography in the mid to late 1990’s.
First Gyroscope Controlled Rocket Launch
March 28, 1935
Robert Goddard, considered the father of modern rocketry, successfully launches the first gyroscope controlled rocket. His A-5 rocket flew to an altitude of 4,800 feet, flew horizontally for 13,000 feet and reached a speed of 550 miles per hour. Gyroscopic technology is critical for the stabilization of modern flight systems in airplanes and spacecraft.
20-Year Old Bill Gates Gives Address
March 27, 1976
Bill Gates gives the opening address at the First Annual World Altair Computer Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, giving a talk about software piracy.
In early 1975 Gates had been a student at Harvard but along with Paul Allen developed a version of the BASIC language for the MITS Altair computer. They demoed it to MITS in March of that year and MITS agreed to distribute it then hired Gates and Allen to continue development. Gates and Allen soon moved to Albuquerque to form Microsoft (originally “Micro-Soft”) since MITS’s headquarters was also located in Albuquerque.
First Long Distance Phone Call
March 27, 1884
The first truly long distance telephone call was made by Alexander Graham Bell to his assistant Mr. Watson from Boston to New York City. The call lasted 90 minutes before the line failed. However this call was done as an experiment using copper wire instead of galvanized iron. Spanning a distance of 235 miles for the experimental call, its success proved the feasibility of using copper wiring and opened the possibility of long distance telephone service which eventually spread around the country and the world.
Bill Gates Announces First Tablet PCs
March 26, 2001
A little over 4 months after announcing that Tablet PCs would be the future, in his keynote at the 2001 Windows Hardware and Engineering Conference (WinHEC) Bill Gates announces Tablet PC support from Acer, Compaq, Fujitsu, Sony and Toshiba. Microsoft’s Tablet PC initiative made a lot of noise and had hardware manufacturers salivating at the thought of a new category of computers to sell after the post Y2k downturn in sales, but for a variety of factors never gained mainstream acceptance. It was not until Apple introduced the iPad in 2010 that mainstream tablet computing actually became a reality.
Melissa Unleashes
March 26, 1999
The first e-mail virus to cause widespread damage and one of the fastest spreading viruses in history, Melissa was released into the wild on an early Friday morning and within three days would infect between 100,000 and 250,000 computers around the world. Targeting Microsoft Word and Outlook, the virus did not directly cause any damage, but the sheer volume of e-mail that it generated crashed many corporate *cough* Microsoft *cough* e-mail servers.
The malware first showed up on the alt.sex usenet group and was apparently named by its creator, David L. Smith, after an exotic dancer. He was arrested a few days later on April 1st, 1999 and accused of causing $80 million worth of damages. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
First Personal Computer Convention
March 26, 1976
The First Annual World Altair Computer Convention is held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Altair 8800 is considered the world’s first popular “microcomputer”, which essentially was the first popular personal computer. Created by MITS which was headquartered in Albuquerque, this Altair convention is also known for being the world’s first major microcomputer or personal computer convention. Over 700 people from 46 states and 7 countries attended. The next day at the opening address, a young Bill Gates gives a talk about software piracy. Bill Gates and Paul Allen had moved to Albuquerque about a year earlier to write the BASIC programming language for the Altair, founding Microsoft.
Twister First Movie on DVD
March 25, 1996
The movie Twister becomes the first feature film released on DVD in the United States. I can tell you from experience that it sounds really good in surround sound! Make sure you have a good subwoofer!
Space Shuttle Columbia Delivered
March 25, 1979
The first space flight capable Space Shuttle, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center. Columbia was the second orbiter built, but its predecessor Enterprise was built primarily as an early testing prototype and without engines and functional heat shielding was not capable of space flight. Columbia was set to launch in late 1979 but due to various problems, did not launch until April 12, 1981. Columbia was lost on February 1, 2003 upon re-entry due to damage to the heat shield on its wing from an impact from falling foam insulation.
Mac OS X is Born
March 24, 2001
Mac OS X 10.0, the first public version of Mac OS X, is released. The code name for this release was Cheetah, although Apple did not start using the code names for marketing purposes until Mac OS X 10.3, Jaguar.