30 June
The first leap second is added to the UTC time system on this day in 1972. Continue reading “1972 – The leap second”
21 April
For the first time, optical fibre is used to carry live telephone traffic. Continue reading “1977 – Optical fibre”
7 April
2001 Mars Odyssey is a robotic spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars. The project was developed by NASA, and contracted out to Lockheed Martin, with an expected cost for the entire mission of US$297 million. Its mission is to use spectrometers and a thermal imager to detect evidence of past or present water and ice, as well as study the planet’s geology and radiation environment. Continue reading “2001 – Mars Odyssey is launched”
3 April
The Osborne 1 was the first commercially successful portable microcomputer, released on this day in 1981 by Osborne Computer Corporation. Continue reading “1981 – The Osborne 1 is unveiled”
