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This week in 1861 – The First Transcontinental Telegraph line across the United States was completed, spelling the end for the 18-month-old Pony Express, which ceased operations just two days later.
1946 – A camera on board the V-2 No. 13 rocket took the first photograph of earth from outer space.
1955 – The microwave oven was introduced in Mansfield, Ohio at the corporate headquarters of the Tappan Company. The new cooking device had a price tag of about $1,300, which would translate to over $11,000 today. No wonder they only manufactured 34 units that first year.
1969 – The first-ever computer-to-computer link was established on ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet.
And this week in 1987 – In Japan, NEC released the first 16-bit (fourth generation) video game console, the PC Engine, which was later sold in other markets, including the US, under the name TurboGrafx-16.