Podcast: Play in new window | Embed
This week in 1846 – An improved version of an artificial leg was patented by Benjamin Palmer of Meredith, NH who “got a leg up” on all other competition.
In 1892 – The first successful automatic telephone system was introduced in Laporte, Indiana. Almon Strowger, an undertaker, came up with the idea because the non-automatic system made it possible for his customers’ calls to be intercepted by his competitor, who was in a relationship with the operator.
in 1925 – Television was beamed to London for the first time. If you put everything into it except the kitchen sink, you’d have the transmitter that was used. To build the transmitter, John Baird used a tea chest, a biscuit box, darning needles, piano wire, motorcycle lamp lenses, old electric motors, cardboard scanning discs and glue, string and sealing wax.
And this week in 1998 – ATSC HDTV broadcasting in the United States was inaugurated with live coverage of the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery from Cape Canaveral in Florida.