Faraday Discovers Electromagnetic Induction

Michael FaradayAugust 29, 1831

English scientist Michael Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction. Electromagnetic induction is the primary principle behind electric motors and electric generators, two very important inventions that power and drive our electronic technology of today.

World’s Largest Battery Backup

Fairbanks BatteryAugust 27, 2003

The city of Fairbanks, Alaska connected to what was at the time the world’s largest battery backup. Designed to help prevent serious blackouts that plagued the city every two to three years, the batteries could provide power to the city for a few minutes – enough time to start up the city’s backup diesel generators. The battery contains 13,760 cells covering more than 10,000 square feet. It was reported that in the first two years of operation, the battery system prevented at least 81 power failures.

First Use of Tape Recorder in Radio

Phillips-Miller Recording SystemAugust 26, 1938

Radio station WQXR in New York City broadcasts a program using a tape recorder for the first time. The tape recorder used was the Phillips-Miller recording system, also known as Millertape, invented by James Arthur Miller.

 

HP Incorporated

Original HP LogoAugust 18, 1947

Hewlett-Packard is incorporated by William Hewlett and David Packard, nine years after they sold their first products from their garage in Palo Alto. Hewlett and Packard got their start in 1938 by producing oscillators used to test audio equipment. Since selling eight of their first oscillators to Disney for use in preparing movie theaters for the movie Fantasia, HP has grown to one of the largest technology companies in the world.

The First Music CD

The Visitors by ABBA

August 17, 1982

“The Visitors” by ABBA becomes the world’s first commercial music compact disc (CD) manufactured, pressed in Langenhagen, Germany by Polygram Records, a subsidiary of Royal Phillips Electronics. Phillips and Sony co-developed the CD standard, which was designed to be the successor to the phonograph record. By the time the CD went on sale in November of that year, about 150 titles had been produced.

Diesel Engine Patented in US

Rudolf DieselAugust 9, 1898

The US Patent Office awards patent 608,845 to Rudolf Diesel for his diesel internal combustion engine.

Apple Introduces the Newton

Newton MessagePadAugust 3, 1993

Apple introduces the Newton MessagePad, one of the world’s first Personal Digital Assistants (PDA). The term PDA was first used by Apple CEO John Scully in 1992. While a commercial failure, the Newton platform set the bar for future PDA designs. But perhaps the most important advancement the Newton offered to the technology industry was the development of the ARM processor architecture. Apple partnered with and invested heavily in the fledgling architecture to power the Newton devices, acquiring 43% of Advanced RISC Machines, Ltd. in the process. The ARM architecture has been the foundation of most of the world’s mobile devices since that time, including all versions of the Apple iPhone and iPad and now the M series processors for the Macintosh. Incidentally, in 1998 Apple began selling much of their ownership interest in ARM, reportedly generating around $1 billion through 1999. This gave Apple some much needed cash to carry them through their darkest days and into their turnaround to become the world’s most valuable company.

First San Francisco Cable Car

Clay Street RailroadAugust 2, 1873

The Clay Street Railroad begins operation, making it the first cable car in San Francisco’s now famous cable car system.

Video Killed the Radio Star; MTV Debuts

MtvmoonAugust 1, 1981

MTV, presumably standing for “Music Television”, launches on cable TV. As most people know, after the introduction sequence, the first video played was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. However, a bit of trivia is that the second song played was “You Better Run” by Pat Benatar. MTV had an immediate impact on the music industry and was an iconic symbol of the technology-driven 1980’s.

Sirius and XM Merger Approved

Sirius XMJuly 25, 2008

The FCC approves the merger of the two satellite radio companies, Sirius and XM.