1973
Law searching LexisNexis launches publicly. This is a database of all cases tried in New York and Ohio. By 1980, all cases were hand-keyed into the system. Nexis is the database and Lexis is the search engine.
1980
Microsoft announced the Z80 SoftCard for Apple. It was Microsoft’s first hardware endeavor – a microprocessor that plugged into the Apple II. Price $349.00
1990
The RemoteAccess Bulletin Board System (BBS) Version 0.03 is released.
1992
In the first four months of the year, Microsoft has shipped ten million copies of Windows 3.0.
1993
Astronaut Hans Schlegel receives a test infusion while in orbit, aboard the space shuttle Columbia. The German physicist has saline solution warmed to body temperature pumped into him through a needle. The experiment provides a way to address dehydration and other common health issues associated with space travel, such as puffy faces and skinny legs.
The World Wide Web is born when the directors of CERN release the source code of WorldWideWeb into the public domain, making it freely available to anyone, without licensing fees. This decision, which is very much in line with the decisions of the earlier Internet pioneers, to make their products freely available is possibly the most important in the history of the Internet. Several versions of the software are still available to download from evolt.org’s browser archive.
1995
The National Science Foundation no longer allows direct access to the NSF backbone. The National Science Foundation has contracted with four companies that will be providers of access to the NSF backbone. These companies will sell connections to groups, organizations, and companies.
1996
The Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA) issues a correction to figures released the day prior. Due to an error made by a CEMA representative while referring to a table of sales figures, the number of television sales for the first quarter were cited as 660,000. The correct number, however, is 4.6 million, far more than the number of personal computers sold during the same period.
1997
Power Computing begins shipping the PowerCenter Pro line for the Mac OS. The systems feature 180 to 210 MHz PowerPC 604e processors, 16X CD-ROM drives. Prices start at US$2,095.
2001
The Russian rocket carrying Dennis Tito, the first space tourist, is launched on a mission to the International Space Station.
Imagine Media announces that it is closing down its online operations, including its online ad network, the Maximum PC Network, and Daily Radar (www.dailyradar.com), a popular online gaming publication similar to GameSpot and GameSpy. When the Daily Radar was shut down, a notice is left on the website stating, “The internet soufflé has collapsed (you probably read about it in the news), and Daily Radar is no longer publishing.” The notice was accompanied by a humor list of reason why the site was shut down. While Daily Radar was a popular review site, it was often the subject of controversy and criticism, as evidence by its frequently lampooning in the Penny Arcade webcomic.
2002
Indiana State University (ISU) inadvertently posts personal information about ten thousand students who were enrolled in the 1996-97 school year on the Internet, including their names and social security numbers. The information will remain online for two weeks, from April 30 to May 14. The incident was not the result of hacking, and, according to later interviews, no one was disciplined for the mistake.
2006
Version 4.10 of the popular Linux distribution Ubuntu, code-named “Warty Warthog” is released.
2009
ABC signs a deal with Hulu to bring TV shows like Lost onto the popular video site.
Sarah Palin begins her Twitter account
Naval engineer Marc Stephens has to deliver his wife’s baby. He uses YouTube to find all the information needed to successfully deliver.
2014
Video sharing site Qik officially shuts down. Qik was acquired by Skype in 2011 and was shutdown to create Skype Qik – the video messaging service.