In 1957 – Hamilton Electric held a press conference to announce the World’s First Electronic Watch, the Hamilton Electric 500, a watch that never needed winding. Just batteries.
In 1977 – Apple Computer Co. was incorporated by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Ron Wayne famously backed out selling his shares back for $800. Ouch.
In 1999 – The U.S. Mars Polar Lander was launched. It would spend most of the year wending its way towards Mars before it lost communication with Earth in December, presumably after crashing.
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