| 1492 | | 3 Aug:
Columbus sets sail to find a western route to Asia. GLIAH |
|
| 1493 | | 15 Mar:
Christopher Columbus arrives back in Spain after his first voyage to the New World.GLIAH NYCParks |
|
| 1513 | | 22 Apr:
Ponce de León is credited with discovering the Gulf Stream.KH CR |
|
| 1568 | |
| 1569 | |
Gerardus Mercator presents his cylindrical map projection.LOC |
|
| 1570 | | 20 May:
Abraham Ortelius publishes the first modern atlas entitled "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum".LoC Bonhams |
|
| 1580 | | 26 Sep:
Sir Francis Drake returns to England completing his circumnavigation of the World.LoC History.com |
|
| 1603 | | 15 Mar:
Samuel de Champlain sets sail from France aboard the Bonne-Renommée on his first voyage to North America. MM&P OHT |
|
| 1608 | | 2 Oct:
Hans Lippershey demonstrates, and applies for a patent for, the first refracting telescope, the forerunner of the modern optical telescope.W I R E D SciHi |
|
| 1609 | | 25 Aug:
Galileo demonstrates the telescope.Astronomy SA |
|
| 1620 | |
The earliest human-powered submarine is conceived and built.gizmag |
|
| 1627 | | 18 Jul:
A French missionary is the first European to mention the occurrence of petroleum in North America.GoogleBooks PA-Roots |
|
| 1633 | | 13 Feb:
Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome to face an ecclesiastical court on charges of committing heresy.W I R E D DJ |
|
| | 22 Jun:
Galileo Galilei is forced to recant his view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe.UKMC Fordham |
|
| 1635 | | 25 Aug:
The Great Colonial Hurricane plows through New England destroying anything in its path.NEHS HS |
|
| 1638 | |
| | 21 Oct:
The first recorded instance of ball lightning occurs during a thunderstorm in Widecombe-in-the-Moor, England.GoogleBooks ChemEu |
|
| 1639 | | 25 Sep:
The first printing press in America is set up.BE AWD |
|
| 1643 | |
| 1666 | | 14 Nov:
English diarist Samuel Pepys records the first description of a blood transfusion, dog-to-dog.W I R E D |
|
| 1675 | | 10 Aug:
The foundation stone of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London, the home of the prime meridian, is laid.RMG ROG |
|
| 1692 | | 7 Jun:
The pirate haven of Port Royal, Jamaica is destroyed in a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami, portions sinking beneath the sea.UNESCO B B C |
|
| 1698 | | 2 Jul:
Englishman Thomas Savery patents a steam engine.APS MSH |
|
| 1700 | | 26 Jan:
A magnitude 9.0 earthquake strikes off the west coast of North America producing a huge tsunami that sweeps across the Pacific.NRCan USGS |
|
| 1704 | |
| 1712 | |
Thomas Newcomen patents the atmospheric steam engine.JStor |
|
| 1716 | |
| 1717 | | 27 Feb:
A series of four successive snowstorms create the Great Snow of 1717.NEHS NWS |
|
| 1719 | | 11 Dec:
The first recorded sighting of the aurora borealis in North America occurs in New England.DE tOFA |
|
| 1721 | | 26 Jun:
During a smallpox outbreak in Boston, Dr. Zabdiel Boylston begins inoculating patients beginning with his own son.MassMoments CW |
|
| 1734 | | 1 Apr:
The first lighthouse in Canada begins operation.LLS CCN |
|
| 1752 | | 10 May:
Thomas-François Dalibard validates Benjamin Franklin's conclusion that lightning is electricity.USNA APS |
|
| | 15 Jun:
Benjamin Franklin performs his kite experiment.PSU HC |
|
| 1753 | | 11 Feb:
The first patients are admitted to the first hospital in America, Pennsylvania Hospital, founded by Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin in 1751.PennMed UMW |
|
| | 7 Jun:
The world's oldest public museum, the British Museum is founded by Act of Parliament.BM tSP |
|
| |
| 1755 | | 1 Nov:
An earthquake destroys Lisbon, Portugal killing an estimated 70,000 people.Earth SA |
|
| |
| 1758 | |
| 1763 | |
| 1769 | | 5 Jan:
James Watt patents his much improved steam engine.ACS WoWE |
|
| 1774 | | 1 Aug:
Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen.APS ACS |
|
| 1778 | |
| 1780 | | 4 May:
The American Academy of Arts & Sciences is founded.TiS AAoA&S |
|
| | 19 May:
Smoke from forest fires cause The Dark Day of 1780.NEHS HI |
|
| | 9 Oct:
An expedition sets off from Harvard College to observe a solar eclipse from Penobscot Bay in Maine which is still controlled by Britain.USNA JSTOR |
|
| 1781 | | 13 Mar:
British astronomer William Herschel discovers the planet Uranus while surveying the sky with his telescope.
UT EarthSky |
|
| 1783 | | 4 Jun:
The Montgolfier Brothers give the first public demonstration of their balloon.Space Earth |
|
| | 15 Oct:
The world’s first manned hot-air balloon flight takes place.Space CoF |
|
| 1784 | | 21 Aug:
Benjamin Franklin makes mention of, in letters, bi-focal eyeglasses he had invented earlier about 1780.eNotes AS |
|
| 1785 | | 7 Jan:
The first international flight occurs when Blanchard and Jeffries fly a balloon across the English Channel.StratoCat SI |
|
| 1790 | |
| 1791 | |
| 1793 | |
| 1794 | |
| 1795 | |
| 1796 | |
| 1797 | | 10 Mar:
Thomas Jefferson presents a scientific paper on a Megalonyx fossil to the American Philosophical Society that is considered the first American contribution to vertebrate paleontology.USNA SA |
|
| | 22 Oct:
Frenchman André-Jacques Garnerin makes the first recorded parachute jump.TiS LoC |
|
| 1804 | |
| 1806 | | 7 Oct:
Ralph Wedgwood receives the first patent for carbon paper.W I R E D |
|
| 1807 | | 17 Aug:
Robert Fulton's steamboat, Clermont, begins its first successful trip up the Hudson River from New York City to Albany.PBS OHC |
|
| 1811 | |
| | 16 Dec:
A powerful earthquake, along with a strong aftershock, strike near New Madrid, Missouri.USGS SIMag |
|
| 1812 | | 23 Jan:
The second powerful earthquake strikes the New Madrid, Missouri area.USGS SIMag |
|
| |
| 1813 | |
| 1815 | | 10 Apr:
Mount Tambora begins the largest eruption in recorded history which causes the following year to be known as the "year without a summer".NASA SIMag |
|
| 1816 | |
| 1819 | | 22 May:
The first steam powered vessel to cross the Atlantic, the S.S. Savannah, "put to sea with steam and sails" on a historic trip that would take her to England, Sweden and Russia with stops in Norway and Denmark before returning home.AAQ NSSavannah |
|
| 1820 | | 20 Nov:
The whaling ship Essex is rammed and sunk by a sperm whale 2,000 miles off the west coast of South America, inspiring the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville.W I R E D |
|
| 1822 | | 11 Sep:
The Catholic Church finally agrees with science and allows that the Earth revolves around the Sun.W I R E D FT |
|
| 1823 | |
| 1824 | |
| 1825 | |
| | 4 Jul:
Ground is broken on the Farmington Canal and completed ten years later.CTHist FVTC |
|
| | 26 Oct:
The Erie Canal is completed.EC LoC |
|
| 1826 | | 27 Nov:
John Walker invents the modern friction match.TiS BH |
|
| 1827 | | 7 Apr:
The first friction matches are sold by its inventor.MITTR S-o-T |
|
| 1829 | | 17 Mar:
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society is organized with General Henry Dearborn elected its first president..GoogleBooks CA |
|
| | 16 Aug:
The original "Siamese Twins", Chang and Eng Bunker, arrive in Boston.CC Muse |
|
| 1830 | | 28 Aug:
The superiority of steam-power is demonstrated when the first American built locomotive, Tom Thumb, races a horse-drawn B&O rail car.FHWA B&ORRM |
|
| | 15 Sep:
The first railroad fatality occurs when a member of Parliament, William Huskisson, steps in front of George Stephenson's Rocket at the opening of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway.AO tNM |
|
| | 6 Dec:
The United States Naval Observatory is established, first as the Depot of Charts and Instruments.USNA NASA |
|
| | 25 Dec:
The Best Friend of Charleston begins the first regular passenger service in America.A-R SCM |
|
| 1831 | | 29 Aug:
Michael Faraday discovers electromagnetism.APS EDN |
|
| | 27 Dec:
The H.M.S. Beagle, with a crew of seventy-three men, sets sail out of Plymouth, England. On board is a young naturalist named Charles Darwin. SA |
|
| 1835 | |
| 1836 | | 25 Feb:
Samuel Colt patents his revolver.CTHist TSHA |
|
| | 23 Mar:
The first powered coin press begins production at the Philadelphia Mint.NN NGC |
|
| 1837 | | 25 Feb:
Thomas Davenport receives a patent for the first practical DC electric motor.W I R E D MagLab |
|
| 1839 | | 24 Feb:
William Otis receives a patent for his steam shovel, a device that will shape the world.Google Books MFSW |
|
| 1840 | | 20 Jun:
Samuel Morse patents a system of dots and dashes used for telegraph communication - Morse Code.W I R E D SIMag |
|
| 1842 | |
| 1843 | | 19 Jul:
The SS Great Britain, the first iron-hulled, propeller-driven ship to cross the Atlantic, is launched in Bristol, England.Nature ASME |
|
| 1844 | | 24 May:
Samuel F. B. Morse transmits the message "What hath God wrought?" from Washington to Baltimore using his invention, the telegraph.LoC APS |
|
| | 15 Jun:
Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanized rubber.MassMoments SciAm |
|
| 1845 | | 28 Aug:
The first issue of Scientific American is published.SA SI |
|
| | 13 Sep:
The Irish Potato Famine begins with reports of blight in Gardeners' Chronicle.IC IP |
|
| 1846 | | 10 Aug:
The Smithsonian Institute is founded.SI USNA |
|
| | 10 Sep:
Elias Howe Jr. patents his sewing machine.ASME SI |
|
| |
| | 30 Sep:
Dentist William Morton uses ether to anesthetize a patient in Boston which begins its use for general anesthesia.W I R E D ASA |
|
| 1847 | | 4 Jan:
Samuel Colt makes the first sale of his revolver to the U. S. government.History.com UTX |
|
| | 5 May:
The American Medical Association is founded.NEJM AMJMS |
|
| | 1 Oct:
Maria Mitchell is the first American to record a comet sighting.NEHS Nature |
|
| 1848 | | 24 Jan:
Gold is found at Sutter's Mill sparking the California Gold Rush in 1849.SI Coloma |
|
| 1849 | | 23 Jan:
Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman in the U. S. to receive a medical doctorate.NIH LoC |
|
| 1851 | | 12 Aug:
Isaac Merritt Singer is granted a patent for a sewing machine.SI PG |
|
| | 24 Dec:
A fire at the Library of Congress destroys nearly two thirds of the books purchased from Thomas Jefferson.LoC AoC |
|
| 1852 | | 16 Feb:
Henry and Clement Studebaker found a blacksmith and wagon building business, the company that will eventually produce that famous car.MotorTrend SILib |
|
| | 28 Apr:
The first municipal electric fire alarm system using call boxes with automatic signaling to indicate the location of a fire was placed into operation in Boston, Massachusetts.ETHW CI |
|
| 1853 | |
| 1855 | | 28 Jan:
A train runs from the Atlantic Ocean across the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean for the first time.PCM SBH&RM |
|
| | 8 Mar:
The first train crosses the Niagara Railway Suspension Bridge, the first such bridge in the U. S..NFT NG |
|
| 1857 | | 23 Mar:
Elisha Otis installs the first modern passenger elevator in a public building, at a department store in New York City.W I R E D TIME |
|
| |
| 1858 | | 30 Mar:
The first pencil with a built-in eraser is patented.Haaretz GAF |
|
| 1859 | | 21 Mar:
The charter is approved and signed for the first zoo in the U. S..PhillyMag AZA |
|
| |
| | 24 Nov:
Charles Darwin publishes his groundbreaking volume, "On the Origin of Species".Literature.org NSF |
|
| 1860 | | 29 Jun:
The final stone is laid completing the Minot's Ledge Lighthouse, still in use today.US-L H2G2 |
|
| | 18 Jul:
The first photographs of a solar eclipse are taken.HA EclipseMaps |
|
| 1862 | | 9 Mar:
The first naval engagement between ironclad ships, the USS Monitor fights the CSS Virginia to a draw.ACW NPS |
|
| | 8 Apr:
John D. Lynde receives the first patent for an aerosol dispenser.DC GooglePatents |
|
| | 20 Apr:
The first pasteurization test, aimed at disproving the theory of spontaneous generation and proving food could be preserved by applied heat, is completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard.HP AZDHS |
|
| |
| | 4 Nov:
Dr. Richard Gatling patents the machine gun ushering in the age of high powered weaponry.IN GooglePatents |
|
| 1863 | |
| | 3 Mar:
The National Academy of Sciences is established.NAS Harvard |
|
| 1864 | | 17 Feb:
The Confederacy H. L. Hunley sinks the USS Housatonic and becomes the first submarine in the world to sink an enemy ship.ACW Hunley |
|
| |
| 1865 | | 8 Feb:
Gregor Mendel first presents his works on plant hybridization.Nature NIH |
|
| | 9 May:
Dr. Richard Gatling receives a patent for his machine gun.USNA SAWar |
|
| 1866 | | 27 Jul:
Cyrus W. Field finally succeeds in laying the first working trans-Atlantic Telegraph cable from Ireland to Newfoundland.N&LH PBS |
|
| 1867 | |
| | 14 Jul:
Alfred Nobel demonstrates dynamite for the first time.GoogleBooks GF&F |
|
| 1868 | | 23 Jun:
Christopher Sholes patents the first practical typewriter.USNA SI |
|
| |
| 1869 | | 11 Jan:
The synthesis of alizarin, the standard for red dyes and pigments, is announced as it is also being prepared in front of the audience.GoogleBooks |
|
| | 26 Feb:
Physician Friedrich Miescher reports that he isolated DNA from white blood cells, naming it nuclein.SciDir RalfDahm |
|
| | 6 Mar:
Dmitri Mendeleev presents his Periodic Table of Elements to the Russian Chemical Society.PopSci BYLib |
|
| | 10 May:
The first transcontinental railroad is complete when the Union and Central Pacific Railroads join rails in Promontory Summit, Utah.W-F CA |
|
| |
| | 28 Dec:
William Semple of Mount Vernon, Ohio receives a patent for chewing gum.OHC OTC |
|
| 1870 | | 3 Jan:
Ground is broken and construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins.GG NY |
|
| | 9 Feb:
President Ulysses S. Grant signs a joint resolution of Congress authorizing the Secretary of War to establish a national weather service.NOAA NWS |
|
| |
| | 1 Nov:
The National Weather Service makes its first forecast.NWS PBS |
|
| 1871 | | 27 Apr:
The American Museum of Natural History opens to the public.AMNH GoogleBooks |
|
| 1872 | | 10 Apr:
Nebraskans plant more than a million trees on the first Arbor Day.LoC ArborDay |
|
| | Dec:
The first Rand McNally map is published.NA.gov |
|
| 1873 | | 20 May:
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.W I R E D LS&Co |
|
| 1874 | | 10 Feb:
Lewis Latimer, the son of slaves and an inventor who worked closely with Edison on the incandescent light bulb, receives his first patent - a railroad car water closet.MassMoments RtG |
|
| 1875 | | 9 Feb:
The first train passes through the Hoosac Tunnel, at the time, the second longest tunnel in the world.HT MassMoments |
|
| 1876 | | 7 Mar:
Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.USNA PBS |
|
| | 10 Mar:
Alexander Graham Bell makes the first telephone call, telling his associate "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you".LoC W I R E D |
|
| |
| | 9 Oct:
Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson have the first "long distance" telephone conversation.Atlantic UILibs |
|
| |
| 1877 | | 13 Mar:
15 year old Chester Greenfield of Farmington, Maine patents the earmuff.MIT ME |
|
| | 21 Nov:
Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a way to record and play back sound. History.com |
|
| 1878 | | 19 Feb:
Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.LoC Signals |
|
| |
| 1879 | |
| | 8 Apr:
Milk is sold for the first time in glass containers.W I R E D CI |
|
| |
| | 31 Dec:
Thomas Edison demonstrates the incandescent light bulb to the public.LoC HFM |
|
| 1880 | | 27 Jan:
Thomas Edison receives his patent for the incandescent light bulb.OurDocs USNA |
|
| | 3 Jun:
Alexander Graham Bell transmits the first wireless telephone message on his newly invented photophone.LoC Vice |
|
| | 6 Nov:
Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, a French army surgeon, discovers the malaria parasite.CDC NIH |
|
| 1881 | |
| 1882 | | 24 Mar:
Robert Koch, a German physician and scientist, announces his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB).CDC PBS |
|
| | 5 Jun:
The baggage claim check as it exists today is patented.WK CIPO |
|
| | 4 Sep:
The Edison Electric Illuminating Company at 257 Pearl Street in New York City begins providing eletricity to homes and businesses.JAIA ETHW |
|
| | 22 Dec:
For the first time, a Christmas tree is decorated using a string of electric lights.W I R E D DLG |
|
| 1883 | | 19 Jan:
The first electrical transmission system utilizing overhead wires is put in place by Thomas Edison.fold3 USSI |
|
| | 24 May:
The Brooklyn Bridge opens to the public.LoC BWH |
|
| |
| | 27 Aug:
Krakatoa blows its top, making the loudest noise ever heard, then collapses into a caldera.Nautilus NOAA |
|
| |
| 1884 | | 16 Jun:
The first amusement-park roller coaster ride in America opens at Coney Island.W I R E D WB |
|
| | 13 Oct:
The Greenwich meridian is officially adopted globally as the prime meridian, the imaginary north-south line where the longitude is 0 degrees.W I R E D MAA |
|
| |
| | 1 Nov:
Greenwich Mean Time is adopted universally when the International Meridian Conference meets in Washington, DC.GMT OFA |
|
| 1885 | | 28 Feb:
The American Telephone and Telegraph Company, or AT&T, is chartered in New York.A-C GPM |
|
| | 30 Aug:
Gottlieb Daimler patents the first gas-engined motorcycle.W I R E D IH |
|
| 1886 | |
| |
| | 30 Nov:
The Westinghouse Electrical Company begins the first commercially successful transmission of A/C electricity.Google Books ETHW |
|
| 1887 | | 2 Feb:
Groundhog Day! Six more weeks of winter if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow.GD 3RP |
|
| |
| |
| 1888 | | 27 Jan:
The National Geographic Society is incorporated. WHP |
|
| | 22 Sep:
The National Geographic Society begins publishing its magazine. Biblio |
|
| |
| | 9 Dec:
Statistician Herman Hollerith's computing device is installed at the U. S. War Department.RJ GoogleBooks |
|
| | 23 Dec:
Artist Vincent Van Gogh cuts off his ear.SIMag VGG |
|
| 1889 | | 31 Mar:
The Eiffel Tower, at the time, the tallest man-made structure in the world, is opened.TE PCV |
|
| | 31 May:
The South Fork Dam, 14 miles upstream from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, fails taking 2200 lives.JAHA NPS |
|
| |
| 1890 | | 6 Aug:
The first execution by electric chair is carried out.DPI ABA |
|
| |
| 1891 | | 17 Aug:
U.S. Government rainmaking experiments begin in Texas.SIMag |
|
| 1892 | | 19 Apr:
Charles Duryea becomes the first American to build and sell a gasoline-powered automobile.Hemmings DPL |
|
| |
| | 27 Sep:
Book matches receive a patent.PSU Hagley |
|
| 1894 | | 14 Aug:
The first wireless transmission of information using Morse code is demonstrated by Oliver Lodge during a meeting of the British Association at Oxford.RSP NS |
|
| 1895 | | 11 Jun:
The first U. S. patent for a gasoline-driven automobile by a U. S. inventor was issued to Charles E. Duryea of the Duryea Motor Wagon Co. in Springfield.USNA HFM |
|
| | 27 Jun:
The first rail system in the U. S. using electric locomotives begins operating in Baltimore.HMdb A-R |
|
| | 26 Aug:
Water is diverted from Niagara Falls to begin the first large scale generation of electricity.SI BAH |
|
| | 8 Nov:
William Roentgen (Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen) discovers X-rays.NobelPrize APS |
|
| | 28 Nov:
The first American automobile race takes place in Chicago.LoC THF |
|
| 1896 | | 29 Jan:
Émil H. Grubbe becomes the first to use radiation to treat a patient with recurrent breast cancer.ASCoPost RK |
|
| | 11 Aug:
Harvey Hubbell of Bridgeport, Connecticut receives a patent for the first on-and-off pull chain, electric light bulb socket.CTHist F-a-G |
|
| | 12 Dec:
Marconi demonstrates the radio and 5 years later, on this same day, transmits the first trans-Atlantic radio signal.W I R E D |
|
| 1897 | | 7 Mar:
The first bowl of flaked corn is served by Dr. John Kellogg at his sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan.W I R E D F&W |
|
| |
| | 20 Aug:
World Mosquito Day marks the discovery of the malaria parasite.Mosquito EM |
|
| |
| |
| 1898 | |
| | 30 May:
Superman beware, Krypton is discovered.JLab NIH |
|
| | 30 Jul:
William Kellogg, understanding the value of the flaked cereal served at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, invents Cornflakes.TiS WCSA |
|
| | 29 Aug:
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is incorporated.Goodyear OHC |
|
| |
| | 18 Dec:
The first recorded land speed record is set when Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat travels 39.252 miles per hour in a Jeantaud, a French electric automobile.WoS AC |
|
| 1899 | | 10 Jan:
David Misell receives a patent for his "electric device" - better known as the flashlight, which is still almost unchanged from its original design.FF USPTO |
|
| |
| |
| 1900 | | 11 Apr:
The U. S. Navy acquires its first modern submarine, the Holland, designed by Irish immigrant John P. Holland, propelled by gasoline while on the surface and by electricity when submerged.LoC DoD |
|
| | 2 Jul:
Count Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin, with five passengers, flies the world's first untethered rigid airship, the LZ-1 near Lake Constance in Germany.Airships CoF |
|
| |
| 1901 | |
| | 10 Dec:
The first Nobel Prizes are awarded.NP NPP |
|
| 1902 | | 20 Apr:
Marie and Pierre Curie successfully isolate radioactive radium salts from the mineral pitchblende in their laboratory in Paris.SN DTE |
|
| |
| |
| | 17 Jul:
Willis Carrier completes the design for the world's first successful air-conditioning system.WC W I R E D |
|
| 1903 | | 18 Jan:
The first two-way transatlantic wireless communication occurs.CapeCod TRC |
|
| |
| | 17 Dec:
The Wright brothers fly the first gas-powered, human-controlled, heavier-than-air aircraft.NASA LoC |
|
| 1904 | |
| | 21 Jul:
The Trans-Siberian Railway is completed.W I R E D NVR |
|
| |
| |
| |
| 1905 | | 25 Jan:
The world's largest diamond is found in a South African mine.GIA IS |
|
| | 27 Sep:
Albert Einstein publishes the Theory of Relativity and makes famous the equation, E = mc2.Dummies EarthSky |
|
| 1906 | | 18 Apr:
San Franciscans are shaken out of bed by the Great San Francisco Earthquake. The city is further destroyed by an uncontrolled inferno the rages for four days and nights.USGS USNA |
|
| | 3 Nov:
The distress signal S.O.S. becomes the worldwide standard at the 2nd International Radiotelegraphic Convention.SIMag GA&C |
|
| 1907 | | 28 Aug:
UPS is founded in Seattle, Washington as the American Messenger Company.LHoF ST |
|
| 1908 | | 30 Jun:
A large meteorite, presumed to be about 120 feet across, enters the atmosphere above Siberia and explodes, destroying about 80 million trees and lighting up the sky. NASA EarthSky |
|
| | 3 Aug:
The first nearly complete skeleton of a Neanderthal is found.LS PNAS |
|
| | 16 Sep:
General Motors is founded by William "Billy" Durant.AH Forbes |
|
| | 6 Oct:
Henry S. Winzeler founds the Ohio Art Company, makers of the Etch-A-Sketch.GoogleNews |
|
| | 29 Dec:
A patent is granted for a 4-wheel automobile braking system.365DoM BH |
|
| 1909 | | 16 Jan:
Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole.W I R E D EarthSky |
|
| | 5 Feb:
The first synthetic plastic, Bakelite, is announced to the world by its inventor, Leo Baekeland, during a presentation to the American Chemical Society in New York City.PN NYTimes |
|
| | 30 Aug:
Charles Walcott of the Smithsonian Institute discovers the Burgess Shales, one of the world's richest fossil troves.ESCONI tCE |
|
| 1910 | | 13 Jan:
The first public radio broadcast takes place with a live performance at New York's Metropolitan Opera House. SIMag WQXR |
|
| | 28 Mar:
Engineer Henri Fabre takes off in the Canard, the first airplane to lift off from water under its own power.SI W I R E D |
|
| 1911 | | 17 Feb:
The first electric "self-starter" is installed in a Cadillac.Hemmings EC |
|
| | 16 Jun:
The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, the precursor to IBM, is founded in New York.IBM CHM |
|
| |
| |
| | 10 Jul:
The highest temperature recorded in Maine is 105°F at North Bridgton.NetState RCS |
|
| | 24 Jul:
The ancient city of the Incas, Machu Picchu, is discovered by Hiram Bingham, a professor at Yale University.TiC Andina |
|
| |
| | 14 Dec:
Raold Amundsen and four others are the first to reach the South Pole.SP SA |
|
| 1912 | |
| | 15 Apr:
The RMS Titanic sinks after striking an iceberg. tGLIoAH |
|
| | 18 Dec:
Piltdown man, a presumed missing link, is unveiled to the world - proved a fake 40 years later.ClarkU AS |
|
| 1913 | | 2 Feb:
Grand Central Terminal opens.GCT PBS |
|
| | 13 May:
Igor Sikorsky's Ilya Mourometz, the world's first 4-engine airplane, takes flight.AFMag SA |
|
| |
| | 7 Oct:
Ford debuts the assembly line to speed up Model-T production.BI Hemmings |
|
| 1914 | | 27 May:
The Eastern States Exposition, better known as the Big "E", is incorporated.MassMoments Academia |
|
| |
| | 29 Jul:
The first trans-continental telephone line is completed.Coloradoan TDiTH |
|
| |
| | 15 Aug:
The Panama Canal opens to traffic.GovInfo PC |
|
| | 1 Sep:
Martha, the last passenger pigeon, dies at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden.SI Audubon |
|
| | 5 Oct:
The first recorded armed aerial victory of World War I occurs when a French reconnaissance aircraft shoots down a German reconnaissance aircraft.A&S WSJ |
|
| 1915 | | 27 Mar:
Mary Mallon - Typhoid Mary, the first healthy carrier of disease ever identified in the United States, is put in her final quarantine at Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island, where she would remain for the rest of her life.PBS AH |
|
| | 17 Aug:
Charles F. Kettering, co-founder of DELCO in Dayton, Ohio, is issued a patent for his "engine-starting device".OAC AN |
|
| | 6 Sep:
The first military tank rolls off the assembly line.ACA USArmy |
|
| 1918 | | Feb:
The Spanish Flu pandemic kills at least 3% of the World's population.VLib npr |
|
| | 21 Feb:
The last known Carolina Parakeet dies in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo.Audubon USC |
|
| | 11 Mar:
At Fort Riley in Kansas, one of the first cases of what will become known as the Spanish Flu is recorded.WHO ACEP |
|
| | 19 Mar:
Time Zones and Daylight Savings Time are established by the Standard Time Act.POLITICO USDoD |
|
| | 7 Nov:
Dr. Robert Hutchings Goddard demonstrates tube-launched solid-propellant rockets at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, the forerunners to the bazooka.ESA AFHF |
|
| 1919 | | 8 May:
The Navy's NC-4 flying boat makes the first successful transatlantic flight.SI A&SMag |
|
| | 17 Oct:
Radio Corporation of America, better known as RCA, is incorporated.LoVA VTInc |
|
| 1920 | | 12 Oct:
Construction begins on the Holland Tunnel.HHM PA |
|
| 1921 | | 26 Apr:
The first U. S. weather report to be broadcast on the radio is made from station WEW in St. Louis, Missouri.Current MBA |
|
| | 21 Jul:
Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell demonstrates the ability of aircraft to sink enemy warships.CoF SI |
|
| 1922 | | 11 Jan:
Insulin is first used to successfully treat diabetes.MNT WHP |
|
| |
| |
| |
| | 26 Nov:
Howard Carter and Lord Carnavon enter King Tut's tomb.History.com |
|
| 1923 | | 16 Feb:
King Tut's tomb is unsealed.NYTimes |
|
| | 12 Mar:
The Phonofilm movie process, a sound track added to the movie film, is demonstrated to the press.W I R E D WZ |
|
| 1925 | | 19 Jan:
The lowest temperature recorded in Maine is -48°F at Van Buren - which has since been broken with a -50°F at Black Bear River on 16 Jan 2009.NetState CC |
|
| | 28 Feb:
An earthquake measuring approximately 7 on the Richter scale strikes the Charlevoix-Kamouraska area of eastern Canada.NRCan MM |
|
| |
| | 25 May:
John T. Scopes is indicted for teaching Darwinian evolution theory.LHL ABAJ |
|
| | 10 Jul:
Jury selection begins for the Scopes Monkey Trial.npr MTSU |
|
| 1926 | | 26 Jan:
Television is demonstrated to the public for the first time.HoI TIME |
|
| |
| | 9 May:
Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett, in a Fokker Trimotor, fly over the North Pole.PBS AFMag |
|
| | 12 May:
The Norge, a semi-rigid Italian-built airship, just misses being the first aircraft to fly over the North Pole.NYCGP TH |
|
| | 23 Jun:
The first Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is administered.PBS SIMag |
|
| 1927 | | 7 Jan:
The first commercial transoceanic telephone service begins, using radio, between New York and London.EDN USNA |
|
| | 26 May:
After 19 years, production of the Ford Model T ceases.AH HFM |
|
| | 7 Sep:
Philo Taylor Farnsworth transmits the first electronic image - television.ThePilot tHoTV |
|
| |
| | 13 Nov:
At midnight, the Holland Tunnel opens to automobile traffic.NYCRoads PANYNJ |
|
| 1928 | | 13 Jan:
The first television sets are installed in Schenectady, New York.MIT RM |
|
| |
| | 28 Sep:
Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin.NIH PBS |
|
| | 12 Oct:
A young polio sufferer at Children's Hospital in Boston becomes the first person to use the iron lung artificial respirator.W I R E D BMag |
|
| | 18 Nov:
Mickey Mouse makes his silver screen premier in Steamboat Willie.MoMA TIME |
|
| 1929 | | 8 Aug:
The Graf Zeppelin begins its round-the-world flight.WingNet TDiA |
|
| 1930 | |
| | 13 Mar:
The discovery of the planet Pluto is announced by its discover Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory.APS Lowell |
|
| | 6 Apr:
The Twinkie is invented.NPR Trib |
|
| | 12 May:
The first planetarium in the U. S., the Adler Planetarium, opens to the public.Adler CCT |
|
| | 24 Jun:
Preliminary testing of what will later become Radar begins.I&T GoogleBooks |
|
| | 7 Jul:
Construction of the Hoover Dam begins.Tucson CC |
|
| | 12 Aug:
Clarence Birdseye receives a patent for the production of quick-frozen fish.MassMoments npr |
|
| | 20 Aug:
W2XCR begins broadcasting from Jersey City, New Jersey, with first demonstration of home reception of television.ET GoogleBooks |
|
| | 8 Sep:
3M rolls out Scotch© Brand Cellulose Tape, later renamed Scotch Transparent Tape.ACS FV |
|
| 1931 | | 1 May:
The Empire State Building opens.LoC HDC |
|
| 1932 | | 31 Mar:
Ford unveils its new flathead V8 engine.AH JJ |
|
| | 28 Apr:
A vaccine for yellow fever is introduced.NIH |
|
| 1933 | | 5 Jan:
Construction begins on the Golden Gate Bridge.SIMag GGB |
|
| | 25 Feb:
The USS Ranger, the first purpose-built aircraft carrier, is launched at Newport News, Virginia.NI&SHM USNavy |
|
| |
| | 12 Jul:
The first Dymaxion is produced.AH tVN |
|
| | 22 Jul:
American aviator Wiley Post lands at Floyd Bennett Field in New York, completing the first solo flight around the world in 7 days, 18 hours, and 49 minutes.A&SMag PopMech |
|
| | 17 Oct:
Albert Einstein, his wife, his assistant and his collaberator/assistant arrive in New York harbor aboard the Westernland on his way to Princeton.IRC EDN |
|
| | 12 Nov:
Hugh Gray takes the first photograph of the Loch Ness Monster.Nessie Hoaxes |
|
| |
| 1934 | |
| | 12 Apr:
The highest surface wind measured anywhere on earth was clocked by the staff of the Mount Washington Observatory at 231 mph.MWOBS WU |
|
| 1935 | |
| | 24 May:
Major League Baseball plays its first night game.SABR NBHoF |
|
| |
| | 17 Dec:
The Douglas DC-3, the most successful passenger airliner ever, takes its first flight.A&S AFMag |
|
| 1936 | | 5 Mar:
The prototype of the British Supermarine Spitfire flies for the first time.SI Bonhams |
|
| | 7 Jul:
Henry F. Phillips receives patents for a new kind of screw and the new screwdriver needed to make it work.W I R E D F-a-P |
|
| | 7 Sep:
The last known Tasmanian Tiger dies in captivity.NMA AusGeo |
|
| |
| 1937 | | 16 Feb:
Linear Condensation Polymer, better known as Nylon, is patented by Wallace Carothers of DuPont.SN AH |
|
| |
| | 28 May:
The Golden Gate Bridge opens to vehicular traffic.GGB PBS |
|
| | 4 Jun:
The first shopping cart rolls out at the Humpty Dumpty supermarket in Oklahoma City.W I R E D SI |
|
| | 2 Jul:
Amelia Earhart disappears on her quest to be the first person to fly around the world.TIME USNA |
|
| | 21 Dec:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first animated full-length movie, premieres.History.com Disney |
|
| | 22 Dec:
The center tube of the Lincoln Tunnel opens to automobile traffic.PANYNJ AH |
|
| 1938 | | 24 Feb:
The first nylon-bristled toothbrushes, the first modern toothbrushes, go on sale.W I R E D SM.UK |
|
| | 6 Apr:
DuPont chemist Roy Plunkett accidentally invents Teflon.W I R E D Teflon |
|
| |
| | 22 Oct:
The first xerographic copy is made in a laboratory in Astoria, Queens, New York, the birth of Xerox. SIMag APS |
|
| | 16 Nov:
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is first synthesized by Dr. Albert Hofmann.CV PSR |
|
| | 23 Dec:
A coelacanth, previously known only from fossil evidence, is caught in the Chalumna River, near East London, South Africa. Nature SD |
|
| 1939 | | 13 May:
The first commercial broadcast FM radio station goes on the air.WDRC tRH |
|
| | 28 Jun:
Pan Am's Dixie Clipper makes its inaugural passenger flight from New York to Europe.CFB Airways |
|
| 1940 | | 27 Feb:
Carbon-14 is discovered by scientists Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben working at the University of California at Berkeley making it now possible to date once living material.W I R E D BerkLab |
|
| | 12 Sep:
The Lascaux Cave paintings are discovered.VVD YouTube |
|
| | 26 Oct:
The P-51 Mustang takes its maiden flight with test pilot Vance Breese.MM DW |
|
| | 7 Nov:
"Galloping Gertie", the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, collapses due to high winds.WSDOT KIRO7 |
|
| 1941 | | 12 Feb:
The first human trials of penicillin begin.Forbes NIH |
|
| | 12 May:
The first fully functional, programmable computer is unveiled.W I R E D CHM |
|
| |
| 1942 | | 13 Aug:
The Manhattan Project begins.AHF NWWIIM |
|
| 1943 | | 20 Feb:
The Parícutin volcano begins to erupt in Parícutin, Mexico, marking the first time scientists are able to observe the complete life cycle of a volcano. SDSU SIArchives |
|
| | 16 Apr:
Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the psychedelic properties of LSD.W I R E D DW |
|
| | 10 Jun:
Brothers László and Georg Bíró, Hungarian refugees living in Argentina, patent the ballpoint pen.W I R E D FPN |
|
| 1944 | | 23 Apr:
Sikorsky's R4 helicopter becomes the first used in a combat role.A&SMag VTOL |
|
| 1945 | | 25 Jan:
Fluoridation is introduced to drinking water.W I R E D ADA |
|
| |
| | 16 Jul:
"Trinity", the first atomic bomb, explodes in the early morning hours near Alamogordo.B B C DoE |
|
| |
| |
| | 6 Dec:
The microwave oven is invented by Percy Spencer of the Raytheon Corporation.NASA Web+ |
|
| 1946 | | 13 Feb:
ENIAC, the first Electrical Numerical Integrator And Calculator, is unveiled at the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electronics.KurzweilAI AA |
|
| | 14 Feb:
ENIAC, the first large scale, general purpose, digital computer is announced to the public.UPenn CH |
|
| | 22 Feb:
Rutgers University Professor Selman A. Waksman announces a second (after penicillin) clinical application of antibiotics - streptomycin against tuberculosis.JC BALLYA |
|
| | 8 Mar:
The Bell Model 47 becomes the first helicopter to be certified for civilian use.GoogleBooks TW |
|
| | 16 May:
Jack Mullin gives the first public demonstration of a professional quality tape recorder in the U. S..MoB LATimes |
|
| | 8 Aug:
The first true intercontinental bomber, the B-36, makes its first flight.SACM FAS |
|
| |
| 1947 | | 21 Feb:
Edwin Land demonstrates his instant camera and film - the Polaroid.SI ACS |
|
| | 16 Apr:
The first television zoom lens, the Zoomar lens, is demonstrated by NBC-TV in New York City, allowing close-up and distant camera shots from the same stationary camera, rather than moving the entire camera as had been done previously.TiS BH |
|
| | 28 Apr:
Thor Heyerdahl and Kon-Tiki set sail from Peru on a course for French Polynesia.SIMag K-TBC |
|
| | 11 May:
The B.F. Goodrich Co. announces the development of the tubeless tire.History.com DA |
|
| | 6 Jul:
The world's most popular assault rifle, the AK-47, begins production.SN W I R E D |
|
| | 7 Jul:
The Roswell Incident occurs.Space RAM |
|
| |
| | 7 Aug:
After 101 days, Thor Heyerdahl completes his voyage with Kon-Tiki.MLP AO |
|
| | 5 Oct:
President Harry Truman makes the first-ever televised presidential address from the White House.History.com |
|
| |
| 1948 | | 21 Feb:
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, NASCAR, is incorporated.Hemmings HR |
|
| | 7 Apr:
The World Health Organization is established by the United Nations.WHO AJC |
|
| | 3 Jun:
The 200 inch Hale Telescope goes into operation at the Palomar Observatory.NPS UC |
|
| | 21 Jun:
Columbia Records introduces the 12" LP (long playing) record.W I R E D 33Audio |
|
| | 30 Jun:
Bell Labs holds a press conference to announce their latest invention, the transistor.PBS CHM |
|
| | 28 Nov:
The first commercial instant camera, Polaroid Land camera Model 95, goes on sale at the Jordan Marsh department store in Boston.Haaretz TDiTH |
|
| | 24 Dec:
The first completely solar heated house, the Peabody house in Dover, Massachusetts, is ready for occupancy.TiS OTD |
|
| 1949 | | 6 Jan:
The first photograph of genes was taken at the University of Southern California by Dr. Daniel Chapin Pease and Dr. Richard Freligh Baker. TiS DE |
|
| | 10 Jan:
The 45-rpm record, cheaper and more portable than other record formats, is introduced by RCA.W I R E D CNYNews |
|
| | 26 Feb:
The first non-stop round-the-world flight takes place in a Boeing B-50A, the Lucky Lady II, lasting 94 hours and 1 minute.AFMag PBS |
|
| | 27 Jul:
The world's first jet-propelled airliner, the British De Havilland Comet, makes its maiden test-flight in England.AFMag CoF |
|
| 1950 | | 31 Jan:
President Truman announces plans for the U. S. to develop the hydrogen bomb.PBS AHF |
|
| | 24 Jul:
Cape Canaveral launches its first rocket.W I R E D CoF |
|
| | 24 Sep:
Black Sunday occurs when smoke from forest fires in western Canada makes its way east, darkening the skies in the eastern United States and Canada and as far away as western Europe.BLM WR |
|
| |
| 1951 | | 31 Mar:
UNIVAC I, the first commercially produced computer, is delivered to the United States Census Bureau.Census ETHW |
|
| | 10 Nov:
Mayor M. Leslie Downing of Englewood, New Jersey and Mayor Frank Osborne of Alameda, California make the first direct-dialed, transcontinental telephone call.CSL BH |
|
| | 20 Dec:
A nuclear reactor produces useful electricity for the first time. DoE APS |
|
| 1952 | | 3 May:
The first airplane lands at the North Pole.HC ASN |
|
| | 15 Jul:
The first transatlantic helicopter flight begins.RH PP |
|
| | 20 Sep:
Geneticists Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase publish their conclusion that DNA is where life's hereditary data is found.OSU RUP |
|
| 1953 | | 28 Feb:
At Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University, scientists James D. Watson and Frances H.C. Crick announce that they have determined the chemical structure of DNA.NIH GO |
|
| | 26 Mar:
The success of the polio vaccine is announced on the radio.NIH WAPO |
|
| | 29 Apr:
The ABC affiliate KECA-TV broadcasts the show Space Patrol in 3-D but it can only be viewed using special polarized lenses.EDN Signals |
|
| | 29 May:
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest. PBS |
|
| |
| | 19 Jun:
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed after being convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage.SI JWA |
|
| | 20 Nov:
Piltdown Man is reported to be a hoax in the bulletin of the British Natural History Museum.PBS |
|
| | 30 Dec:
The first color televisions go on sale in the U. S..S&V EoaG |
|
| 1954 | |
| | 27 Jan:
The atomic battery is unveiled.RCA NYTimes |
|
| | 15 Feb:
The governments of Canada and the U. S. agree to jointly build a line of radar stations in defense against a possible air Soviet attack, the DEW (Distant Early Warning) line.1370th T&G |
|
| |
| | 25 Mar:
Production of RCA's first commercial color television set begins.W I R E D TVTech |
|
| |
| | 27 Jun:
The world's first nuclear power plant goes online.W I R E D PT |
|
| | 29 Sep:
The CERN Convention is entered into force.CERN SA |
|
| | 18 Oct:
The first transistor radio, the Regency TR1, is introduced to the world.PBS EDN |
|
| | 30 Nov:
A meteorite crashes through the roof and strikes a napping Ann Hodges in Sylacauga, Alabama, the only documented injury from an extra-terrestrial object.Space SIMag |
|
| | 23 Dec:
The first successful human organ transplant occurs.npr NIH |
|
| 1955 | | 12 Apr:
Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine to the world.UMich CDC |
|
| | 19 Aug:
Hurricane Diane becomes the first storm to top $1 billion in damages in the U. S..NEHS NWS |
|
| | 31 Aug:
GM demonstrates the first solar-powered car.EEW GMA |
|
| 1956 | | 23 Jul:
While gathering data on aerodynamic heating, "Fastest Man Alive", Pete Everest, achieves a speed of Mach 2.87 at 68,000 feet in the Bell X-2 rocket plane setting the world aircraft speed record.NASA ChiTrib |
|
| | 13 Sep:
IBM introduces the first computer hard disk drive.RN EDN |
|
| | 25 Sep:
The first transatlantic telephone is opened for business.CBC A-C |
|
| | 22 Dec:
A gorilla named Colo is born at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio - the first gorilla in the world born in captivity.CZ OHC |
|
| 1957 | | 3 Jan:
The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first battery operated, electric watch, the Ventura.W I R E D VHW |
|
| | 4 Sep:
Ford unveils the Edsel.EP AHM |
|
| | 27 Sep:
Capelinhos Volcano - a volcano begins erupting off the west coast of Faial, Azores lasting 13 months, causing an economic disaster and forcing a mass migration to the United States.PAJ PM |
|
| | 4 Oct:
The Soviet Union successfully launches the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik I.NASA |
|
| | 3 Nov:
Laika the dog becomes the first animal launched into orbit.Space NASA |
|
| 1958 | | 31 Jan:
Explorer I, the first U. S. satellite, is launched into earth orbit.NASA SI |
|
| | 10 Feb:
MIT's Lincoln Laboratory bounces radar waves off Venus from their facility at Millstone Hill in Westford, Massachusetts.NASA Space |
|
| | 17 Mar:
Vanguard 1, the first solar-powered satellite, is launched.NASA Space |
|
| | 2 Apr:
U. S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower calls for a civilian National Aeronautics and Space Agency to oversee the US space program, NASA.NASA SCD |
|
| | 29 Jul:
President Eisenhower authorizes creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).DDE-PL NASA |
|
| | 4 Oct:
BOAC begins the first transatlantic jet aircraft passenger service.UA BA |
|
| 1959 | | 22 Jan:
Coors introduces the first aluminum beer can.AlCircle BI |
|
| | 6 Feb:
Texas Instruments patents the integrated circuit.EarthSky PBS |
|
| | 17 Feb:
Vanguard II, the first weather satellite, is launched.SI NASA |
|
| | 9 Apr:
NASA announces its picks for the first U. S. astronauts, known collectively as the "Mercury Seven".NASA Space |
|
| | 8 Jun:
Missile Mail - 3,000 pieces of mail are delivered by a cruise missile fired from a U. S. Navy submarine.W I R E D SI |
|
| | 17 Jul:
Mary Leakey discovers the earliest hominid fossil at Olduvai Gorge.TIME LF |
|
| | 7 Aug:
The United States launches Explorer 6, the first satellite to take and transmit images of the Earth.NASA KSC |
|
| | 14 Sep:
The Soviet space probe, Luna 2, becomes the first man-made object to reach another celestial body, crashing onto the Moon.W I R E D NASA |
|
| | 7 Oct:
The first photographs of the far side of the Moon are taken by Luna 3.NASA |
|
| 1960 | | 23 Jan:
The bathyscaphe Trieste takes the world\'s deepest dive into the Marianas Trench off the coast of Guam setting a record that stands for 40 years.NHHC EarthSky |
|
| | 22 Mar:
Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes receive the first patent for a laser.PatentYogi LaserAll |
|
| | 1 Apr:
The first weather satellite, TIROS-1, goes into orbit.NASA SI |
|
| | 13 Apr:
The first navigation satellite, Transit 1b or NavSat, is put into orbit by the U. S. Navy.NPS LAAFB |
|
| | 9 May:
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration approves the birth control pill.W I R E D PP |
|
| | 16 May:
The laser is demonstrated.SA APS |
|
| |
| | 24 Sep:
The first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise, is launched in Newport News, Virginia.USNavy VNEC |
|
| 1961 | | 22 Jan:
The lowest temperature in Connecticut, -32° F, is recorded at Coventry. This tied the record previously set at Falls Village on 16 Feb 1943.NetState CTbtN |
|
| | 10 Feb:
The Niagara Falls hydroelectric project, the largest water-driven power complex in the world, goes into service.W I R E D WNYC |
|
| | 12 Apr:
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space.NASA Space |
|
| | 5 May:
Alan Shepard, on board the Freedom 7, becomes the first American to journey into space.NASA SIMag |
|
| | 25 May:
President John F. Kennedy announces before Congress, the goal of sending an American to the Moon before the end of the decade.NASA JFKLib |
|
| | 29 Nov:
Enos becomes the first chimp to orbit the earth.NASA |
|
| 1962 | |
| | 20 Feb:
John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth.NASA USNA |
|
| |
| | 20 Aug:
The first nuclear-powered commercial ship, NS Savannah begins its maiden voyage.SSMaritime NSSavannah |
|
| | 12 Sep:
President John F. Kennedy, speaking at Rice University, challenges America to reach the Moon within the decade.NASA USNA |
|
| 1963 | | 10 Apr:
USS Thresher is lost with all hands during deep diving tests.USNavy AL |
|
| | 16 Jun:
Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova is launched aboard Vostok 6 becoming the first woman to fly in space.NASA Space |
|
| | 17 Dec:
The Clean Air Act becomes law.MM USNA |
|
| 1964 | | 11 Jan:
The U. S. Surgeon General declares that cigarette smoking is bad for your health.NIH CDC |
|
| | 27 Mar:
A great earthquake strikes Anchorage, Alaska.USGS Earth |
|
| | 2 May:
BASIC (an early computer language) is invented by John George Kemeny and Tom Kurtz of Dartmouth College.W I R E D DiTH |
|
| 1965 | | 6 Apr:
Intelsat I, the first commercial satellite, is launched bringing the world the phrase "Live, via satellite".SN NASA |
|
| | 3 Jun:
Astronaut Edward White becomes the first American to walk in space.NASA Space |
|
| | 15 Dec:
Gemini 6, piloted by Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford, pulls within 0.3 meters (1 foot) of Gemini 7, piloted by Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, marking the first time in history that two vehicles had maneuvered to meet in space.SI NASA |
|
| 1966 | |
| | 30 May:
Surveyor I, the first U. S. spacecraft to touchdown on an extraterrestrial body, is launched.NASA SFI |
|
| | 23 Aug:
The first photograph of the Earth from the Moon is taken by the Lunar Orbiter I.NASA Space |
|
| 1967 | | Aug:
Amana introduces the first practical consumer microwave oven.GoogleBooks |
|
| | 3 Oct:
U. S. Air Force Colonel William J. "Pete" Knight, piloting the X-15 rocket plane, achieves a world record speed of Mach 6.7.NASA |
|
| |
| 1968 | | 16 Feb:
The first 9-1-1 emergency call is made in Haleyville, Alabama.NENA LEM |
|
| | 18 Jul:
Noyce and Moore incorporate N M Electronics, soon to become Intel.FU CHM |
|
| | 14 Oct:
The first live telecast from a manned U. S. spacecraft is sent from Apollo 7.NASA MZTV |
|
| | 12 Nov:
In a unanimous decision, the U. S. Supreme Court rules that the Arkansas statute against the teaching of evolution was to protect a particular religious view, and was therefore unconstitutional.Findlaw Justia |
|
| | 9 Dec:
Douglas C. Engelbart and a group of researchers demonstrate a working computer mouse as part of the NLS - "oN Line System".Stanford SI |
|
| 1969 | | 2 Mar:
The Concorde takes off on its maiden flight.B B C PHYS |
|
| | 22 Jun:
The Cuyahoga River catches fire because of its polluted waters.W I R E D OHC |
|
| | 16 Jul:
Apollo 11, the first manned mission to land on the Moon, is launched.NASA Space |
|
| | 20 Jul:
Neil Armstrong walks on the moon.NASA Space |
|
| | 2 Sep:
The first node of the ARPANET, the first version of the internet, goes into service.npr W I R E D |
|
| 1970 | | 22 Jan:
Pan Am airlines makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 747.PanAm PM |
|
| | 13 Apr:
At 10:06 pm EST, an oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 Service Module explodes, crippling the space craft.NASA Space |
|
| | 22 Apr:
Happy Earth Day! ED EPA |
|
| | 5 Oct:
NET becomes PBS.WNET |
|
| | 17 Nov:
The patent for the computer mouse is granted to Doug Engelbart.SU GooglePatents |
|
| | 2 Dec:
The Environmental Protection Agency begins operation.EPA NF |
|
| 1971 | | 30 May:
Mariner 9, the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, is launched.NASA Space |
|
| | 18 Jun:
Federal Express Corporation is founded in Little Rock, Arkansas.CH CNN |
|
| | 31 Jul:
Apollo 15 astronauts Dave Scott and James Irwin take the first extraterrestrial ride in the Lunar Rover.A&SMag NASA |
|
| |
| | 14 Nov:
Mariner 9 arrives at Mars.NASA |
|
| 1972 | | 18 Oct:
The Clean Water Act becomes law.Scarce EPA |
|
| | 19 Dec:
The last Apollo lunar-landing mission ends.NASA FJ |
|
| 1973 | | 3 Apr:
The first cell phone call is made.AARP GWR |
|
| | 14 May:
The Skylab space station is launched into orbit by a Saturn V booster.NASA Space |
|
| | 22 May:
The computer network standard ethernet is described by Bob Metcalfe of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center.W I R E D CHM |
|
| |
| | 17 Oct:
OPEC oil embargo begins.C-SPAN MW |
|
| 1974 | | 29 Mar:
The terracotta army of the first Emperor of China is discovered by 3 farmers looking for water.SCMP SIMag |
|
| 1975 | | 2 Jan:
The Monarch butterfly's overwintering sites are discovered in the Mexican mountains by Ken Brugger and Catalina Aguado.TBR NWF |
|
| | 17 Jul:
The Apollo and Soyuz space modules link up in space.NASA SN |
|
| |
| |
| 1976 | | 1 Apr:
Apple Computer is established.AI MO |
|
| | 20 Jul:
The Viking 1 Lander touches down on Mars.NASA YouTube |
|
| 1977 | | 19 Jan:
Snow falls in Miami, Florida and the Bahamas (I was in Freeport at the time), the only recorded occurrence in history.MiamiHerald NWS |
|
| | 5 Jun:
The first personal computer, the Apple II, goes on sale.W I R E D EDN |
|
| | 19 Jun:
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline begins operation.OSTI JPT |
|
| | 11 Jul:
The supercomputer CRAY-1A, serial number 3, is delivered to NCAR, the National Center for Atmospheric Research.CISL SketchFab |
|
| |
| | 23 Aug:
The Kremer Prize for the first sustained (mile-long) human-powered flight is claimed by the Gossamer Condor.SI CAOHP |
|
| 1978 | | 18 Jan:
The roof of the Hartford Civic Center collapses after accumulating a large amount of snow over a 10 day period.CH Courant |
|
| |
| | 27 Jun:
The Gillette Company receives a patent for the erasable pen.Justia USPTO |
|
| | 25 Jul:
The world's first "test-tube" baby is born.RR WNYC |
|
| | 11 Aug:
The first successful transatlantic crossing in a balloon, the Double Eagle II, takes place.SI |
|
| 1979 | | 28 Mar:
A partial core meltdown occurs in the unit-2 nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island.NRC NEI |
|
| | 12 Jun:
The Gossamer Albatross becomes the first fully human-powered aircraft to cross the English Channel.AVInc SI |
|
| |
| | 9 Dec:
Smallpox is declared eradicated by the WHO.NYAM NIH |
|
| 1980 | | 8 May:
Small Pox is declared eradicated by the World Health Organization.ABA CDC |
|
| | 18 May:
Earthquakes trigger a landslide and a cataclysmic eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State.USAF USGS |
|
| | 7 Jun:
The first U. S. solar power plant, located at the Natural Bridge National Monument in Utah, is dedicated.NPS SJC |
|
| | 30 Sep:
The specifications for the networking protocol Ethernet are published.kunbus RTA |
|
| |
| 1981 | |
| | 9 Apr:
The complete sequence of the 16,569-base pair human mitochondrial genome is presented in the journal Nature.GoogleBooks SCIRP |
|
| | 5 Jun:
The first research into the epidemic AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is published.CDC HIV |
|
| | 12 Aug:
The first IBM Personal Computer introduced.IBM ThoughtCo |
|
| 1982 | | 2 Dec:
Barney Clark receives the first permanent artificial heart implant, the Jarvik-7, invented by Robert K. Jarvik.NYTimes SIMag |
|
| 1983 | |
| | 20 May:
The discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS is first published in the journal Science.Science NIH |
|
| | 28 Jun:
The northbound deck of I-95's Mianus River bridge collapses killing 3.CTPost GL |
|
| 1984 | | 24 Jan:
The Apple Macintosh, the first commercially successful computer to use a graphical interface, is introduced.LowEndMac AI |
|
| | 7 Feb:
Astronaut Bruce McCandless becomes the first to perform an untethered spacewalk.NASA SI |
|
| | 11 Apr:
Astronauts from the space shuttle Challenger retrieve and repair the Solar Max satellite while in orbit.W I R E D ESA |
|
| 1985 | | 20 Nov:
Microsoft releases its first version of Windows.c|net PC |
|
| 1986 | | 28 Jan:
Just after lift-off, the space shuttle Challenger explodes, killing all aboard.NASA Space |
|
| | 26 Apr:
An explosion and fire release large quantities of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.NRC LS |
|
| | 14 Dec:
Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, in the Voyager are the first to fly around the world without stopping or refueling.SI NASA |
|
| 1987 | | 19 Jun:
The U. S. Supreme Court strikes down the 1981 Louisiana “Creationism Act” claiming it unconstitutionally endorses religion.Cornell NCSE |
|
| | 3 Jul:
In a little over a day, Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand complete the first Atlantic crossing in a hot air balloon.LT GN |
|
| 1988 | | 23 Jun:
James Hansen of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies initiates the global warming discussion.ZEP SEJ |
|
| 1989 | | 23 Mar:
Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons announce their discovery of cold fusion, an energy production process that's never been duplicated, at the University of Utah.SIMag IE |
|
| | 24 Mar:
The Exxon Valdez runs aground on the Alaskan coast creating one of the worst environmental disasters.AK EPA |
|
| 1990 | | 25 Apr:
The Hubble Space Telescope is deployed from the space shuttle Discovery.NASA HS |
|
| | 25 Dec:
The World Wide Web/Internet protocol (HTTP) and WWW language (HTML) is created by Tim Berners-Lee.UIowa SA |
|
| 1991 | | 6 Aug:
Tim Berners-Lee publishes the first website.DW CHM |
|
| | 19 Sep:
Ötzi the Iceman is discovered entombed in a glacier in the Alps.SA |
|
| | 30 Oct:
The "Perfect Storm" hits the North Atlantic.NPS Weather |
|
| 1992 | | 23 Nov:
The world's first smartphone, the IBM Simon, is introduced at COMDEX in Las Vegas.Techverse ScienceInfo |
|
| 1994 | |
| | 4 Apr:
Netscape is founded by Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark under the name "Mosaic Communications Corporation".CH PopMech |
|
| 1995 | | 29 Jun:
The first U. S. space shuttle docks with the Russian space station Mir.NASA CCSSC |
|
| |
| 1996 | |
| | 5 Jul:
Dolly the sheep, the first successfully cloned mammal, is born.SA G&S |
|
| | 28 Jul:
Two men find part of a 9000 year old human skull in the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington - Kennewick Man.BM Earth |
|
| 1998 | | 7 Sep:
Larry Page and Sergey Brin establish Google.W I R E D HoI |
|
| 2001 | | 15 Feb:
The Human Genome Project publishes its results to date in the journal Nature.Genome Nature |
|
| | 27 Nov:
The first alien atmosphere is identified by the Hubble Telescope.NASA SI |
|
| | 22 Dec:
Richard Reid fails in his attempt to blow up a flight from Paris to Miami with explosive material in his shoes.CNN Flying |
|
| 2003 | | 1 Feb:
Space Shuttle Columbia is destroyed upon reentry killing all on board.FBI Space |
|
| |
| | 3 May:
The Old Man of the Mountain collapses.Earth WMNH |
|
| | 24 Oct:
Concorde completes its last commercial passenger flight, ending three decades of supersonic travel.B B C GIZMODO |
|
| 2004 | | 4 Feb:
Facebook is founded by Mark Zuckerberg.Facebook FV |
|
| | 21 Jun:
SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.Space FAA |
|
| |
| | 26 Dec:
A magnitude 9.1 earthquake strikes off the coast of Sumatra generating a deadly tsunami.NOAA SA |
|
| 2005 | | 14 Jan:
The Huygens probe successfully lands on Saturn's largest moon Titan - the only landing to take place in the outer Solar System and the furthest from Earth.esa NASA |
|
| | 18 Jan:
The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, is unveiled in France.Airbus AW |
|
| | 3 Mar:
Steve Fossett completes the first non-stop, non-refueled, solo flight around the world in 67 hours and one minute in the GlobalFlyer.AAHS NASA |
|
| |
| 2006 | | 24 Aug:
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) revokes Pluto's planetary status. EarthSky |
|
| 2007 | | 9 Jan:
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils the first iPhone to the world.MacWorld Apple |
|
| | 11 Mar:
Daylight Savings Time is extended - beginning 3 weeks earlier (2nd Sunday in March) in the year and ending 1 week (1st Sunday in November) later.TT T&D |
|
| | 29 Jun:
The first iPhones go on sale.Apple EDN |
|
| | 12 Oct:
Al Gore shares the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change education.NP Science |
|
| 2008 | | 28 Sep:
SpaceX successfully launches the first privately-developed liquid fuel rocket, Falcon 1, into Earth orbit.Space NASA |
|
| 2009 | | 7 Mar:
The Kepler Space Observatory, a spacecraft designed to search for other Earth-like planets, is launched at Cape Canaveral, Florida.NASA Space |
|
| 2010 | | 12 Jan:
Haiti is rocked by a huge earthquake and subsequent tsunami which kills around 300,000 people.CNN nature |
|
| | 8 Dec:
SpaceX successfully returns the Dragon capsule back to earth after the launch and orbit of the Falcon 9 rocket - a first for a private company.PS NASA |
|
| 2011 | | 11 Mar:
Northern Japan is struck by a triple disaster - a magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggers a massive tsunami which in turn causes one of the worst nuclear accidents ever to occur.NOAA USGS |
|
| | 8 Jul:
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U. S. Space Shuttle program.Space NASA |
|
| 2012 | | 29 Oct:
Hurricane Sandy becomes Superstorm Sandy after moving up the east coast of the U. S. and takes a left turn towards shore that devastates many of the communities along the mid-Atlantic, especially New York and New Jersey.NASA LiveScience |
|
| 2013 | | 15 Feb:
A large meteor explodes as it streaks through the sky over the Chelyabinsk region in Russia, shattering windows and collapsing buildings from the force of the explosion and injuring over 1000 in the process.CNN Space |
|
| | 1 Oct:
The Affordable Care Act goes into effect.NIH RMHP |
|
| 2014 | | 25 Apr:
The Flint Water Crisis begins when the city of Flint, Michigan switches to the Flint River as its source of water in a cost-cutting measure.NRDC npr |
|
| 2015 | | 9 Mar:
The Solar Impulse 2, the first aircraft to fly day and night using energy from the sun, begins its round-the-world voyage.PHYS SPW |
|
| | 21 Dec:
SpaceX brings the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket back to Earth for a soft touchdown at Cape Canaveral, Florida after delivering a payload of 11 commercial satellites into orbit.Space.com SA |
|
| 2017 | | 25 Aug:
Hurricane Harvey makes landfall in Houston, Texas and drops between 40 and 61 inches of rain across the area.HHMag Weather |
|
| | 20 Sep:
Destructive Hurricane Maria, with winds as high as 175mph, makes landfall in Puerto Rico.NASA Weather |
|
| 2018 | | 9 Aug:
The U. S. announces plans for a new branch of the military - Space Force!WAPO S&S |
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