Technology in History
Explore 94 historical moments related to technology — from pivotal breakthroughs to world-changing events.
📅 18th Century(1)
📅 19th Century(2)
Louis Daguerre is thought to photograph the Moon
French photography pioneer Louis Daguerre is believed to have taken one of the first photographs of the Moon, an early milestone in photographic history.
Albert Einstein Born
Albert Einstein, one of the most influential physicists of all time, is born. He developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics.
📅 20th Century(48)
First successful airplane flight
The Wright brothers achieved the first sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft.
Construction begins on the Golden Gate Bridge
Work officially begins on the Golden Gate Bridge, one of the most famous suspension bridges in the world.
First drive-in movie theater opens
The first drive-in movie theater opens in Camden, New Jersey, charging 25 cents per car.
Hoover Dam completed
Hoover Dam, straddling the Arizona–Nevada border on the Colorado River, was completed.
Guglielmo Marconi dies
Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi, pioneer of long-distance radio transmission, dies in Rome at age 63.
Klaus Fuchs convicted
German-British physicist Klaus Fuchs was convicted of supplying information from the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union.
Sputnik 1 is launched
The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, beginning the Space Age.
First Human in Space
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to journey into outer space. He completed one orbit of Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft.
Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crash
Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after taking evasive action to avoid a mid-air collision. All 84 people on board were killed.
Apollo 11 Moon landing
NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon, fulfilling President Kennedy's vision.
AMC Gremlin introduced
The American Motors Corporation introduced the Gremlin, marketed as America's first subcompact car.
President Nixon announces the space shuttle program
U.S. President Richard Nixon approves development of the reusable space shuttle system, shaping NASA's next era of human spaceflight.
F-16 Fighting Falcon first flight
The F-16 Fighting Falcon, the most numerous fixed-wing aircraft currently in military service, made its first flight.
Microsoft is founded
Bill Gates and Paul Allen establish Microsoft, a company that becomes central to the personal computer revolution.
Microsoft Founded
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They aimed to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800.
Viking 1 lands on Mars
NASA's Viking 1 spacecraft becomes the first successful mission to land on Mars and operate on its surface, returning images and scientific data.
Apple Computer is incorporated
Apple Computer is formally incorporated by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Mike Markkula, helping launch the personal computer era.
Kosmos 954 reentry
The Soviet nuclear-powered satellite Kosmos 954 burned up during atmospheric reentry, scattering radioactive debris across Canada's Northwest Territories.
Penmanshiel Tunnel collapse
The Penmanshiel Tunnel in Scotland collapsed during construction, killing two workers and leading to its abandonment.
First DMC DeLorean Production Car
The DeLorean Motor Company completed the first production car of the DMC DeLorean at its factory in Northern Ireland.
ZX81 Home Computer Launched
The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer, was launched by Sinclair Research. It went on to sell more than 1.5 million units worldwide.
Tetris is first released
Programmer Alexey Pajitnov releases the earliest version of Tetris in the Soviet Union, launching one of the world's most influential video games.
Apple introduces Macintosh during Super Bowl XVIII
During Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984, Apple Computer unveiled the Macintosh, a groundbreaking personal computer featuring a graphical user interface, via the iconic "1984" commercial.
Sinclair C5 launched
Sir Clive Sinclair launched the Sinclair C5 personal electric vehicle, which became a cult collectible despite its commercial failure.
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant suffered a catastrophic accident, leading to widespread radioactive contamination and long-term health and environmental consequences.
Gateway Bridge Opens in Brisbane
The Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, Australia, opened as the largest prestressed-concrete, single-box bridge in the world.
Seikan Tunnel opens
The 53.85 km Seikan Tunnel opened, connecting the cities of Hakodate and Aomori in Japan. It was the longest railway tunnel in the world at the time of its opening.
United Airlines Flight 811
United Airlines Flight 811 experienced uncontrolled decompression after leaving Honolulu, blowing seats out of the aircraft and killing nine passengers.
Hiten spacecraft launched
Japan launched the Hiten spacecraft, the first lunar probe launched by a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States.
World Wide Web goes public
Tim Berners-Lee publishes the first website, making the World Wide Web available to the general public.
Escondida Copper Mine Inaugurated
Escondida, which would become one of the world's most productive copper mines, was officially inaugurated.
USS Missouri Decommissioned
The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, was decommissioned in Long Beach, California.
Mosaic Web Browser Released
The first popular web browser, Mosaic, was released. It was created by Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina.
Valeri Polyakov Returns from Mir
Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returned from the Mir space station after 437 days. He set a new record for the longest spaceflight in history.
First Wiki Site Established
American computer programmer Ward Cunningham established the first wiki site, the WikiWikiWeb.
Copernicium First Created
Researchers at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany, successfully created the chemical element copernicium. This marked a significant achievement in scientific discovery.
Deep Blue vs. Kasparov
On February 10, 1996, the chess-playing computer Deep Blue defeated World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov in a game. This marked the first time a computer beat a reigning world champion under tournament conditions.
Silver Spring train collision
Eleven people died in a train collision in Silver Spring, Maryland, leading to new federal rules for passenger car design.
Pokémon launched
The multimedia franchise Pokémon was launched with the release of the video games Pocket Monsters Red and Green.
Final Fantasy VII release
Final Fantasy VII, the first game in the franchise to feature 3-D computer graphics, was released. This marked a significant advancement in video game technology.
Steve Jobs Returns to Apple
Steve Jobs returned to Apple Inc. as a consultant. This occurred after Apple's acquisition of his technology startup NeXT.
Maldacena publishes AdS/CFT correspondence paper
Argentinian physicist Juan Maldacena published a landmark paper initiating the study of AdS/CFT correspondence. This work links string theory and quantum gravity.
China Airlines Flight 676 crash
China Airlines Flight 676 crashed due to autopilot over-reliance while approaching Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, killing all 202 people on board.
New Carissa oil spill
The Philippine-flagged freighter New Carissa ran aground near Coos Bay, Oregon, causing one of the worst oil spills in the state's history.
Steve Ballmer becomes Microsoft CEO
Steve Ballmer replaced Bill Gates as the chief executive officer of Microsoft.
Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash
Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California due to a malfunctioning horizontal stabilizer, killing all 88 people on board.
PlayStation 2 released in Japan
The PlayStation 2 was released in Japan.
US v. Microsoft Antitrust Ruling
In United States v. Microsoft Corp., Microsoft was found to have violated antitrust law by bundling Internet Explorer with its Windows operating system.
📅 21th Century(43)
Wikipedia launched
Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launch Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
First Wikipedia Edit
The first edit to the internet encyclopedia Wikipedia was made.
NEAR Shoemaker lands on Eros
The NASA space probe NEAR Shoemaker touched down on Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
Anna Kournikova worm released
The computer worm Anna Kournikova, which would affect millions of users worldwide, was released by a 20-year-old Dutch student.
Selby rail crash
A high-speed train crash occurred near Selby in North Yorkshire, England, killing 10 and injuring 82.
Mir Space Station Deorbited
The Russian space agency deorbited the Mir space station. It reentered Earth's atmosphere and broke up over the Pacific Ocean.
Stardust spacecraft collects material from comet Wild 2
NASA's Stardust mission gathers dust grains from comet Wild 2, later providing scientists with valuable evidence about the early solar system.
Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity lands on Mars
The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity landed on Mars and rolled into Eagle crater on the Meridiani Planum.
YouTube Founded
The online video platform YouTube was founded by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim.
Texas City refinery explosion
A fire and explosion at an oil refinery in Texas City killed 15 workers.
Methane explosion in Mexican coal mine
A methane explosion in a coal mine in Nueva Rosita, Mexico, trapped and killed 65 miners.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter enters orbit
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reached and entered orbit around Mars.
First Twitter Message Sent
Jack Dorsey sent the first message on the social-media network Twitter.
Adam Air Flight 574 crash
Adam Air Flight 574 crashed into the sea off Polewali, Indonesia, killing all 102 people on board. The crash was attributed to the pilots inadvertently disconnecting the autopilot.
Taiwan High Speed Rail Opens
The Taiwan High Speed Rail opened, connecting Taipei and Kaohsiung.
London low emission zone begins operation
The London low emission zone, charging certain diesel-powered commercial vehicles to enter Greater London, came into operation on February 4, 2008.
B-2 Spirit crash in Guam
A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber crashed on the runway shortly after takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
Bitcoin Genesis Block Mined
The cryptocurrency network of bitcoin was created when Satoshi Nakamoto mined the first block of the chain.
Tesla Model S Unveiled
A prototype of the Tesla Model S, a groundbreaking electric car, was unveiled. This vehicle would become highly influential in the automotive industry.
Omid satellite launched
Omid, Iran's first domestically made satellite, was launched from Semnan Space Center.
Satellite Collision
The satellites Iridium 33 and Kosmos 2251 collided and were destroyed in low Earth orbit on February 10, 2009. This was the first accidental hypervelocity collision between two intact satellites.
Burj Khalifa Opens
The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest structure, officially opened in Dubai.
Tokyo Skytree completed
Construction of Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest tower and third-tallest structure, was completed.
Megaupload Shut Down
The Hong Kong-based file-sharing website Megaupload was shut down by the FBI.
First Vega rocket launch
The first Vega rocket was launched by the European Space Agency from the Guiana Space Centre.
South Korea launches Naro-1 rocket
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute launched Naro-1, South Korea's first carrier rocket and first launch vehicle to achieve Earth orbit.
TransAsia Airways Flight 235 crash
Shortly after takeoff from Taipei Songshan Airport, the crew of TransAsia Airways Flight 235 shut down the wrong engine in response to a flameout, leading to a crash that resulted in 43 deaths.
Ray Tomlinson
Ray Tomlinson, an American computer programmer and engineer, died. He was born in 1941.
Flydubai Flight 981 crash
Flydubai Flight 981 crashed during an aborted landing at Rostov-on-Don Airport, Russia, killing all 62 people on board.
Turkish Airlines Flight 6491 crash
Turkish Airlines Flight 6491 crashed in Manas International Airport after overflying the runway, resulting in 39 deaths. The aftermath of the crash was pictured.
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed six minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa International Airport due to a software fault, killing all 157 people on board.
Lina Ben Mhenni
Tunisian Internet activist and blogger (born 1983) died on January 27, 2020.
Nunuk Nuraini
Indonesian food scientist (born 1961) died on January 27, 2021.
Lou Ottens
Lou Ottens was a Dutch engineer and inventor, known for developing the cassette tape.
Glynn Lunney
Glynn Lunney, American engineer, died.
Suez Canal obstruction
A container ship ran aground and obstructed the Suez Canal for six days.
Dagny Carlsson
Dagny Carlsson was a Swedish blogger and influencer.
Jacob Ziv
Jacob Ziv was an Israeli electrical engineer who developed the LZ family of compression algorithms.
Gordon Moore
Gordon Moore was an American businessman, engineer, and co-founder of Intel Corporation.
Japan Airlines Flight 516 collision
While landing at Haneda Airport, Japan Airlines Flight 516 collided with a De Havilland Canada Dash 8. Five people were killed in the incident.
Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being struck by the MV Dali container ship. Six people were killed in the disaster.
Death of Tim McGovern
Tim McGovern, an American visual effects artist, passed away.
Betty Webb
Death of Betty Webb, an English code breaker (born 1923).
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the most important technology events in history?
- Notable technology events include: Hot-air balloon crosses the English Channel (1785), Louis Daguerre is thought to photograph the Moon (1839), Albert Einstein Born (1879).
- How many technology events are in the timeline?
- Our collection includes 94 historical entries related to technology, spanning centuries of human history.
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