Today is 1st Februray’10 and here’s what happened today in tech…

1 – In 1788. 1st US steamboat patent issued, by Georgia to Briggs & Longstreet.
2 – In 1920. 1st commercial armored car introduced (St Paul Minn).
3 - In 1949. 200″ (5.08-m) Hale telescope 1st used [See June 3, 1948].
4 - In 1951. 1st X-ray moving picture process demonstrated.
5 - In 1951. 1st telecast of atomic explosion.
6 – In 1953. WEEK TV channel 25 in Peoria, IL (NBC) begins broadcasting.
7 - In 1954. 1st TV soap opera “Secret Storm” premieres.
8 – In 1958. 1st US satellite (Explorer I) launched.
9 - In 1970. Stalled commuter train rammed by express in Argentina, 139 die.
10 - In 1970. WMAA TV channel 29 in Jackson, MS (PBS) begins broadcasting.
11 - In 1970. West-Germany & USSR sign gas contract.
12 - In 1972. 1st scientific hand-held calculator (HP-35) introduced ($395).
13 – In 1980. Sears Radio Theater moves from CBS to Mutual Broadcasting System.
14 - In 1989. Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 at perihelion.
15 – In 1993. Soyuz TM-16 lands.
16 – In 2003. Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.