Share, , Google Plus, Pinterest,

Print

Posted in:

This Week in Tech History: First Steps on the Moon

On this edition of "This Week in Tech History", Chris takes us back to the first footsteps on the moon. He also tells us of the first air-conditioning system.

First Close-up picture of Mars

This week in 1902 – Dr. Willis Carrier installed a commercial air conditioning system at a Brooklyn, NY printing plant. The system was the first to provide man-made control over temperature, humidity, ventilation and air quality. It was originally installed to help maintain quality at the printing plant and for the first two decades of the 20th Century, Carrier’s invention was used primarily to cool machines, not people.

1965 – The “Mariner IV” spacecraft sent back the first close-up pictures of the planet Mars.

And this week in 1969 – Half a billion people were glued to their television sets at 10:56PM Eastern time to hear the following infamous words:  “That’s one small step for man… One giant leap for mankind.” Those words were of astronaut Neil Armstrong as he stepped off the ladder of his Lunar spacecraft and onto the surface of the moon. The first time humans had touched the surface of another world. A few hours earlier, we heard these other famous words, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed…” The Eagle landed on the moon, in the Sea of Tranquility with only about 30 seconds of fuel left.

Written by Chris Graveline

Chris has covered consumer technology for over 20 years. He is the host of This Week in Tech History as well as a regular co-host on "Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline" and our Technical Director.

1867 posts