In 1873 – Andrew Smith Hallidie took his San Francisco cable car for its first test run. The tracks ran from Clay and Kearny Streets for 2800 feet to a hill 307 feet above.

In 1967 – The US Navy recalled Captain Grace Murray Hopper to active duty to help develop the programming language COBOL.

In 1981 – MTV began broadcasting in the United States, playing The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star,” and changing how we view music forever.

In 2013 – Motorola announced the Moto X Android phone with multiple customization options. It was the first phone designed entirely after Google bought Motorola.

In 2014 – Apple officially acquired Beats Electronics making Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre Apple employees.

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In 1910 – Dr. Hawley Crippen was arrested when the boat he was on docked in Quebec. He was the first person to be caught as a result of a wireless telegraph.

In 1971 – Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin became the first humans to take a drive on the Moon in the lunar rover.

In 1976 – NASA issued a press release describing one photo taken by Viking 1 on Mars as resembling “a human head.” Conspiracy theories about the face on Mars still run today, though close-up pictures from the Mars Express mission have debunked most of them.

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In 1889 – Vladimir Zworykin was born in Russia. He would go on to earn the title “Father of Television” (one of several called that) for his work on the iconoscope and the kinescope. He worked on television for RCA.

In 1898 – The Winton Motor Carriage Company placed a magazine advertisement in Scientific American calling on readers to “dispense with a horse.” It’s the earliest known automobile ad.

In 1971 – The Apollo 15 mission landed the first lunar rover onto the moon.

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In 1947 – ENIAC was switched on after being transferred to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. It operated continuously until October 2 1955.

In 1951 – A recording was made of Beethoven’s 9th by EMI that eventually became used to justify the diameter of the CD.

In 1958 – President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

In 2015 – Microsoft launched Windows 10 as a free upgrade for users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

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