Welcome to the third installment of Tech History Thursday! If you’re keeping up to date with tech news by reading Techaeris, you’re just as interested in the origins of our high-tech world as we are.  This weekly snapshot will give you a look at what happened throughout history as it relates to technology.
June 29
- In 1975, Steve Wozniak builds the first ever Apple I computer prototype.
- NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis is the first ever Shuttle to dock with a space station when it docks with Russian space station Mir in 1995.
- The standard for Gigabit Ethernet is set.
- Apple releases the first smartphone with a multi-touch screen, the first generation iPhone (iPhone EDGE) in 2007.
June 30
- Bell Labs demonstrates how the point-contact transistor works in 1947. This piece of hardware would go on to be the first successful semiconductor amplifier, more commonly referred to as the transistor.
- US President Bill Clinton e-signs the first ever digitally-signed bill into law.
July 1
- Instant Messenger aggregate Trillian hits the Web in 2000, helping users access all of their IM services through one client.
- Google Reader shuts down in 2013.
- In 2013, Microsoft’s Don Mattrick announces that he’ll be leaving the company to become CEO of mobile game company Zynga.
July 2
- W3XK becomes the first-ever television station to go on air in the United States in 1928.
- In 2001, peer-to-peer file sharing service Napster shuts down
- Mozilla wins a prize from Guinness Book of World Records for the most downloads in 24 hours in 2008 – 8 million copies.
- BitTorrent is revealed for the first time by Bram Cohen.
July 3
- In 1886, the first automobile in the world is driven in Mannheim, Germany, by Karl Benz. The vehicle reaches a top speed of 10 mph.
- Billy Mitchell becomes the first person to ever achieve a perfect score on arcade classic Pac-Man in 1999.
- In 2013, Yahoo! acquires Qwiki for $50 million USD.
July 4
- SPECIAL EVENT – Happy Fourth of July, America! On this day in 2014, the United States of America turns 238 years old, having declared independence from the British Crown in 1776 through the Declaration of Independence.
- Rube Goldberg, inventor, is born in 1883.
- In 1956, direct keyboard input is allowed for the first time on MIT’s Whirlwind.
- Richard Garriott, creator of the Ultima video game series, is born in 1961.
- Hotmail, the first webmail service, is launched in 1996.
- NASA’s Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars in 1997.
July 5
- In 1951, the junction transistor is invented by Dr. William Shockley in New Jersey.
- Intel begins aggressive price cuts on the company’s microprocessors, attempting to gain greater market share in 1994.
There you have it! Which of these events do you think has had the most impact on how technology has been shaped? Sound off in the comments below.
Have a favorite moment in tech history that you’d like to add to next week’s snapshot? Leave a comment below, or connect with us on Google+, Facebook, Twitter, or by email! Links to our social media accounts are located to the left of your screen.
Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
