Tech History

• Today in Tech History: January 10

  Today in Tech History: The US Army Signal Corps makes the first radar contact with the Moon during Project Diana on January 10, 1946. Project Diana was appropriately named for the Roman moon goddess Diana and was the first experiment in radar astronomy and the first attempt to prove another celestial object. The project's goal was to bounce radio signals off the Moon and receive the reflected signals. On January 10, 1946, John DeWitt and chief scientist E. King Stodola sent quarter second pulses of radio frequency every four seconds towards the Moon. About 2.5 seconds after their first transmission, the detected an echo, making this the first successful radar contact with the Moon. Project Diana is considered the birth of the US space program because it was the first time that we proved our signals could go beyond the ionospher, a region of the Earth's upper atmosphere that is ionized by solar radiation and influences radio propagation. It also started the trend of naming space projects after Roman gods - for example, Mercury and Apollo. Want more Tech History? Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ where we'll be posting daily with the hashtag #TechHistory Posted January 10, 2014 by Robyn Norgan      Tweet

• Today in Tech History: January 9

  Today in Tech History: Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone on January 9, 2007 at Macworld. "Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything." - Steve Jobs It's hard to believe the smartphone we all know and love (well, some of us anyway) has only been around since 2007. The iPhone officially went on sale on June 29th of that year, prompting one of most anticipated sales launches in the history of tech! In 2007 alone, Apple sold 1.4 million iPhones. Although the original iPhone is now considered obsolete (or vintage, which sounds better if you ask me), it still lives on in it's successors, most recently, the iPhone 5C and 5S. Check out video of Steve Job's announcement of the iPhone below. My favorite part is when he shows the first picture of the "iPhone" at 3:43. The photo of Steve Jobs announcing the iPhone at MacWorld is courtesy of Engadget. Click through to their website if you'd prefer to read about the iPhone announcement rather than watch it. Want more Tech History? Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ where we'll be posting daily with the hashtag #TechHistory Posted January 9, 2014 by Robyn Norgan      Tweet

• Today in Tech History: January 8

  Today in Tech History: Statistician and inventor Herman Hollerith is given a patent for his punch card calculator on January 8, 1889. Hollerith's punch card calculator was one of the inventions that was the foundation of modern information processing. In fact, his designs dominated the computing landscape for almost 100 years. In 1911, Hollerith's Tabulating Machine Company was one of four companies that merged to form the Computing Tabulating Recording Company (CTR), which would later be renamed the International Business Machines Corporation, or IBM, as it's more commonly known today. Punched card image courtesy of Wikipedia. Want more Tech History? Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ where we'll be posting daily with the hashtag #TechHistory Posted January 8, 2014 by Robyn Norgan      Tweet

• Today in Tech History: January 7

  Today in Tech History: The first official transatlantic telephone call is made on January 7, 1927. American Telephone & Telegraph Co. (also known as AT&T - bet you didn't know that's what AT&T stood for!) hosted the telephone call between its president Walter S. Gifford in New York and Sir Evelyn Murray, the manager for the British telephone system, in England. The call was made using radio signals and was one of 31 transatlantic calls made that day. You can listen to their 4 minute 29 second call below: Video courtesy of History.com. Want more Tech History? Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ where we'll be posting daily with the hashtag #TechHistory Posted January 7, 2014 by Robyn Norgan      Tweet

• Today in Tech History: January 6

  Today in Tech History: Microsoft unveils the Xbox at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on January 6, 2001. The finished design of the Xbox was revealed during the CES keynote speech by Bill Gates, who called it "the future of gaming." The Xbox officially went on sale in the US on November 15, 2001 and went on sale in early 2002 in Japan, Australia, and Europe. It has since been succeeded by the Xbox 360, released in 2005, and more recently, by the Xbox One, which was just released in November 2013. Microsoft Xbox image courtesy of Wikipedia. Want more Tech History? Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ where we'll be posting daily with the hashtag #TechHistory Posted January 6, 2014 by Robyn Norgan      Tweet

• Today in Tech History: January 5

  Today in Tech History: Construction begins on the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California on January 5, 1933. The Golden Gate Bridge from the air, photo by Robyn Norgan The Golden Gate Bridge is our local world-famous suspension bridge that links San Francisco with Marin County to the north. When the bridge opened in 1937 it was the longest suspension bridge in the world and it held that title until 1964 when the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City was completed. The bridge has become an internationally recognized icon of San Francisco and has even been declared one of the Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Golden Gate Bridge was conceived by Joseph Strauss, who then became chief engineer in charge of design and construction of the bridge. The project cost more than $35 million, which was actually under budget, and was paid for in bonds from six neighboring counties. The bridge officially opened on May 27, 1937 ahead of schedule. Want more Tech History? Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ where we'll be posting daily with the hashtag #TechHistory Posted January 5, 2014 by Robyn Norgan      Tweet

• Today in Tech History: January 4

  Today in Tech History: On January 4, 1958, Russia's Luna 1 is the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon, passing within 6,000 km (~3,700 miles) of the Moon's surface. Luna 1 was launched on January 2, 1959 from Baikonur, the world's first space launch facility. Baikonur is located in Kazakhstan and is still in use today as the world's largest operational space launch facility. Although Luna 1 was originally supposed to impact the Moon, due to an error during its launch it missed the Moon and became the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon instead. It was also the first spacecraft to leave geocentric orbit (Earth's orbit) and be placed in heliocentric orbit (the Sun's orbit), which resulted in it being dubbed a "new planet" and given the new name of Mechta or "Dream". Picture courtesy of Wikipedia. Want more Tech History? Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ where we'll be posting daily with the hashtag #TechHistory Posted January 4, 2014 by Robyn Norgan      Tweet

• Today in Tech History: January 3

  Today in Tech History: On January 3, 1977, Apple Computer, Inc. is officially incorporated. Apple was originally founded on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. It's first product was the Apple I personal computer, which sold as an assembled circuit board and did not include a keyboard, monitor, or case. Today, Apple is known for it's many "i" products including the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iMac. On January 9, 2007, Apple announced that it would drop Computer from it's name, officially becoming Apple, Inc. This name change was announced on the same day that Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone and it reflected the company's move into consumer products beyond just the computer products it was originally named after. Original Apple Computer, Inc. logo courtesy of Wikipedia. Want more Tech History? Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ where we'll be posting daily with the hashtag #TechHistory Posted January 3, 2014 by Robyn Norgan      Tweet

• Today in Tech History: January 2

  Today in Tech History: On January 2, 2004, NASA's Stardust space probe encounters Comet Wild 2 and collects samples that will later prove for the first time that comets can get warm enough to melt their icy bulk. Stardust was originally launched by NASA on February 7, 1999 to collect dust samples from Comet Wild 2 and then return to Earth for analysis. During its mission, the aptly named Stardust also encountered asteroid 5535 Annefrank on November 2, 2002 as part of an engineering test of the spacecraft and ground operations before its encounter with its primary target, Comet Wild 2. After Stardust's Sample Return Capsule successfully separated and returned to Earth on January 16, 2006, the samples it collected were processed and found to include a wide range of organic compounds. From these samples, a team of scientists at the University of Arizona were able to determine that Comet Wild 2 has minerals on its surface that require liquid water for formation. This was the first convincing evidence that comets can have liquid water and it shattered the previous belief that comets could not get warm enough to melt their icy bulk. Comet Wild 2 as seen from Stardust on January 2, 2004. (Picture courtesy of Wikipedia). Want to make your own comet? When I visited the Lowell Observatory (the observatory where Pluto was discovered) last year they had a comet made out of dry ice, mashed potatoes, and charcoal (see my photo below). However, I found an even better make your own comet recipe online - and it's even edible! Check out NASA's Ice Cream Comet Recipe. Want more Tech History? Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ where we'll be posting daily with the hashtag #TechHistory Posted January 2, 2014 by Robyn Norgan      Tweet

• Today in Tech History: January 1

  Today in Tech History: On January 1, 1985, the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) was born. What is DNS and why is it so important, you ask? Well, back before domain names there were only IP addresses. Although IP addresses are still around today, with the addition of the domain name system (DNS), we can now use easy-to-remember domain names like dynadot.com instead of easy-to-forget numbers like 98.2.357.752 to reach what we want. Thanks to DNS, the system translates domain names into IP addresses for us, making things easier for the everyday user like you and me. Happy 29th birthday DNS! Want more Tech History? Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ where we'll be posting daily with the hashtag #TechHistory Posted January 1, 2014 by Robyn Norgan      Tweet

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