Miscellaneous Technology

March 30, 1950

Bell Telephone Labs announces the phototransistor, invented by Dr. John Northrup Shive. Often called an “electric eye”, a phototransistor is activated by light rather than electricity. It found early use in telephone switching systems for long distance service, allowing operators to quickly direct dial phones in distant cities. Today phototransistors find many uses in a variety of technologies such as computers, robotics, and industry.

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!

March 24, 1896

Russian physicist Aleksandr S. Popov sends the words “Heinrich Hertz” over morse code through wireless telegraphy between two buildings at St. Petersburg University. While controversy exists over who technically invented the radio (Popov or Guglielmo Marconi), Popov’s transmission may have been the first recorded wireless audio transmission in history. Popov had no interest in patenting his creations and since Marconi commercialized his own technology, Marconi is considered the father of the radio in the world outside of Russia.

March 23, 1857

The world’s first commercial “safety elevator” goes into service at Haughwout Department Store in New York City. Created and installed by Elisha Otis it was powered by a steam engine which moved at a rate of 40 feet per minute and took 15 seconds to move between floors. By the 1870’s there were 2000 Otis elevators in service. The creation of a practical and safe elevator was a major step towards the development of modern skyscrapers since it made buildings with more than a few floors accessible to the general public. Ironically, this first elevator was shut down after 3 years because not enough customers wanted to use it! 

March 22, 1960

The first patent on a laser is issued to Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes, who assign it to Bell Telephone Laboratories. Still, no one has figured out how to attach these “lasers” to the heads of sharks. Throw me a frickin’ bone here!

March 20, 1800

Alessandro Volta sends a letter to Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society of London, describing his “electric pile”. This was the first device that could form a steady flow of electricity, now recognized as the first practical battery. Later called the “Voltaic Pile”, the entire reason Volta created the device was to prove another Italian scientist wrong. Luigi Galvani had incorrectly believed that frog muscles could generate electricity. Volta believed that the frog legs Galvani was using was simply reacting to electricity and set out to create proof. Regardless, within mere weeks the importance of this first battery was realized which allowed many further scientific advancements to be possible, such as electrochemistry. Recognizing the importance of his work, including the Voltaic Pile, the electrical unit of the Volt is named in Volta’s honor.

March 19, 1932

The Sydney Harbor Bridge first opens to traffic. Nicknamed “The Coathanger” because of its arch design, it spans 503m across Sydney Harbor and is the world’s tallest steel arch bridge at 134m high. Along with the harbor and the Sydney Opera House, the bridge forms part of the now legendary view of Sydney. The bridge took 1,400 workers and 8 years to complete, yet it took the government of Australia 56 years (until 1988) to fully pay off the cost of building the bridge.

March 18, 1931

Jacob Schick’s 2nd commercial design of an electric razor goes on sale. His first attempt, which went on sale in 1929, was an awkward design with the electric motor connected by a cable to the shaving head. Not surprisingly that model didn’t sell well. Schick had to mortgage his home to keep his company going. This new version put the motor inside the shaving head making it much more convenient. Even though it went on sale during the Great Depression, Schick managed to sell 3000 units that year at $25 each (close to $400 in today’s money) and 1.5 million by 1937, creating the electric razor industry.

March 11, 1986

The NFL adopts a limited instant replay system. This system was dropped, however, in 1992 before the current instant replay system was instated in 1999. In effect, you could say the current system is an instant replay itself!

March 11, 105

Tsai Lun (or Cai Lun), a eunuch in service to the Emperor of China, shows the court his version of paper. Lun had been experimenting with and refining a process for making paper that had been in use for two centuries prior. His paper, perhaps the first to incorporate wood, became the basis of the Chinese paper industry that eventually spread to the rest of the world a few hundred years later.

This is also perhaps the earliest event in technology history with a recorded date!