Today in 20th Century Tech History

March 13 in 20th century tech history

In 1930: The discovery of Pluto is announced in a telegraph to Harvard College Observatory from Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.

In 1969: Apollo 9 returns safely to Earth after testing the Lunar Module.

In 1986: Microsoft has its initial public offering.

In 1923: Lee De Forest, the inventor of the vacuum tube, demonstrates demonstrates Phonofilm, the first motion picture technology for recording sound on the film, at a press conference in New York City.

In 1960: NASA launches the Pioneer 5 space probe to investigate the interplanetary space between Earth and Venus.

In 1977: Astronomers using the Kuiper Airborne Observatory discover rings around Uranus.

In 2000: The NASDAQ stock market index peaks at 5132.52, signaling the beginning of the end of the dot-com bubble.

In 1932: The Ford Flathead engine, the first mass-produced V8 engine, enters production.

In 1936: The first stock car race is held in Daytona Beach, Florida.

In 1979: Voyager 1 discovers volcanoes on Io, a moon of Jupiter.

In 1979: Scientists discover a ring around Jupiter while examining photographs taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft.