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Category Archives: This day in information
Sound Recording Copyrights
Fifty years ago today, the Sound Recording Act of 1971 went into effect, extending federal copyright protection to sound recordings. A sound recording is a derivative work of the preexisting musical work, and to obtain a copyright in a sound … Continue reading
Posted in Copyrights, Economic Impact, Law, music, Social Impact, This day in information
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Cinematographe Patented
Today in 1895, Auguste and Louis Lumière patented the Cinematographe, a device that recorded, developed, and projected films.
Posted in Film, This day in information
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Race Against the Machine
Today in 1996, Deep Blue became the first machine to win a chess game against a reigning world champion, Garry Kasparov, under regular time controls. “As technology continues to advance in the second half of the chessboard, taking on jobs and … Continue reading
First Internet Protest
Today in 1996, “24 Hours in Cyberspace” was the largest one-day online event up to that date. Time Magazine: “Rick Smolan’s 24 Hours In Cyberspace was supposed to be a round-the-clock, planet-spanning online party, a feel-good cyberfest celebrating the paradigm-shifting possibilities … Continue reading
Posted in Censorship, Law, Social Impact, This day in information
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First Integrated Circuit Patent Application
Today in 1959, Jack Kilby filed a patent application for the Integrated Circuit, titled: “Method of making miniaturized electronic circuit.” Harold Evans in They Made America: “The University of Illinois gave him only average grades in electrical engineering, a disappointment … Continue reading
Posted in Computer history, This day in information
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First U.S. “Calculating Machine”
Today in 1850, the first US patent for a push-key operated adding machine is issued to Dubois D. Parmelee of New Paltz, New York (US No. 7,074). The first commercially successful calculator will be invented forty years later by William … Continue reading
Facebook Launched (and Re-Launched?)
Today in 2004, Harvard Sophomore Mark Zuckerberg launched “Thefacebook” from his dorm room. Membership was initially restricted to students of Harvard College, and within the first month, more than half the undergraduate population at Harvard was registered on the service. The … Continue reading
Posted in Facebook, This day in information
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Digital Learning Day
Today is Digital Learning Day, “a nationwide celebration of innovative teaching and learning through digital media and technology.” The New York Times posted a series of quotes from articles on education and technology here. My favorite is from 1984: A senior … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Social Impact, This day in information
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First Handheld Calculator
Today in 1972, the HP-35 was introduced. The world’s first handheld-sized scientific calculator, ultimately made the slide rule, which had previously been used by generations of engineers and scientists, obsolete. The HP-35 was 5.8 inches (150 mm) long and 3.2 inches … Continue reading
Posted in Digitization, Innovation, This day in information
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“This is Our Last Cry Before Our Eternal Silence”
“CALLING all. This is our last cry before our eternal silence.” Surprisingly this message, which flashed over the airwaves in the dots and dashes of Morse code on January 31st 1997, was not a desperate transmission by a radio operator … Continue reading
Posted in Telegraph, This day in information
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