March 23

This list was created with hours upon hours of research and dedication. Thank you.

1989
Martin Fleischmann and Stan Pons, two Utah electrochemists claim to have achieved cold fusion, which is fusion at normal atmospheric pressure and room temperature. They claim to have sustained a controlled nuclear fusion reaction within a bench-top fusion percolator composed of two electrodes and heavy water to generate as much as one hundred percent as the two began with. The claims will be discredited when others failed to replicate the experiments, and discovered that the experiment includes none of the hallmarks of a nuclear processes, however, the claims and the controversy that grows up around them will generate new avenues of research around the world. Read more about cold fusion at Wired.

1994
Richard Pryce, age 16, known by the web handle Datastream Cowboy, is arrested and charged with breaking into hundreds of computers including systems at the Griffiths Air Force base, the Korean Atomic Research Institute, and NASA. The Times will later report that, knowing he was about to be arrested, Pryce curled up on the floor and cried. Pryce will later plead guilty to twelve hacking offenses and be fined US$1,800. Much later, Pryce’s mentor, a twenty-three year old named Matthew Bevan, known by web handle Kuji, will be tracked down and arrested, though charges against Bevan will ultimately be dropped.

1995
The American Coin Machine Exposition is held in Reno, Nevada. At the event, the Midway Manufacturing Company introduces the versus fighting game Mortal Kombat 3 arcade game. The game features new bosses, characters, and moves, along with the ability to grant mercy to opponents and the ability to change each character into an animal.

2001
Apple Computer issues firmware updates to make many of its Macintosh systems compatible with the Mac OS X operating system. Visit the official Mac OS X operating system.

The Russian Mir Space Station goes into de-orbit, causing it to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.

2003
Nintendo releases the Game Boy Advance SP in North America. The devices are available in cobalt (blue metallic) and platinum (silver). Visit the official website of the Game Boy Advance SP. Price: US$99.95

Per Lidén and CRUX Linux community releases version 1.1 of the CRUX operating system. Crux is a Linux distribution designed for experience Linux users. Visit the official Crux website.

2006
Dell acquires computer manufacturer Alienware. Dell intends to allow the company to continue operating independently under its current management while benefiting from the renowned efficiency of Dell’s manufacturing system. Visit the official Dell website.

2009
Oracle acquires Relsys, a application for the medical and biotech industries.

Even though suffering a hamstring pull, Steve Wozniak announces he will still dance on Dancing with the stars.

Microsoft ends production on Omniture – a web analytics software that would have competed with Google Analytics