Archive for January 2025
iPod Shuffle Introduced
January 11, 2005
Apple introduces the iPod Shuffle, the first iPod to use flash memory and the smallest iPod made to date. The small size and low cost of the iPod Shuffle proved popular, as Apple sold 10 million iPod Shuffles by September 2006. It also paved the way for future flash-based iPods, which have now become more common than hard drive based units.
Telstar 401 Satellite Fails Mysteriously
January 11, 1997
Telstar 401, a satellite owned by AT&T that transmitted computer data, phone calls, and television programming, suddenly fails for no apparent reason. AT&T attempts for over a week to reestablish contact, but ultimately fails. While AT&T never officially acknowledges the possibility, many scientists believe that a major solar storm may have contributed to the failure of the satellite.
Three Spacecraft Dock Together For First Time
January 11, 1978
Soyuz 27 links with Salyut 6 & Soyuz 26, marking the first time that three spacecraft are docked together.
First Solo Flight From Hawaii to California
January 11, 1935
Amelia Earhart becomes the first person, man or woman, to fly solo from Hawaii to California.
Apple Ships Intel Inside
January 10, 2006
Seven months after announcing that Macintosh computers will transition from PowerPC to Intel, the first Apple computers to ship with Intel processors are released. The Intel-based iMac and MacBook Pro models will soon be followed by the rest of Apple’s Macintosh line in 2006. The importance of this transition can not be overlooked, as it enabled a level of compatibility with Windows computers never before possible. Through virtual machine software or Apple’s later introduced Boot Camp technology, people could run Windows software directly on their Macs at the same speed as a Windows based computer. This effectively removed a huge roadblock many people had to owning a Macintosh computer, even if it was more of a psychological security-blanket for many.
Moon Rocket Announced
January 10, 1962
NASA announces plans to build the C-5 rocket booster. It became better known as the Saturn V moon rocket, which launched every Apollo moon mission.
First RADAR Contact With Moon
Maiden Flight of First Flying Boat
First Subway Opens in London
January 10, 1863
The world’s first underground railway service opened in London, the Metropolitan line between Paddington and Farringdon. Approximately 40,000 Londoners ride the trains the first day.
Bitcoin Launched
January 9, 2009
Through a posting to The Cryptography Mailing List, the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto releases the first version of the Bitcoin software and launches the network of the decentralized peer-to-peer cryptocurrency. Six days earlier, Nakamoto had generated the first block of 50 bitcoins, now known as the Genesis Block.
Bitcoin has slowly but steadily gained momentum as its users appreciate the fact that no one entity can control, manipulate, or deactivate the digital currency, along with it being an extremely private form of payment. Bitcoin has the potential to become “the currency of the future,” which means it could completely change the way our society functions in regards to money, government, and the economy – which basically means it could change almost everything about the way the world works. Not bad for some open source code.