In 1966 – Luna 10 became the first spacecraft to enter lunar orbit. It completed its first orbit in two hours 58 minutes.

In 1973 – Martin Cooper, general manager of Motorola’s Communications Systems Division made the first handheld portable phone call from a New York City street to Joel S. Engel at rival Bell Labs. Presumably he gloated at least a little.

In 1981 – Adam Osborne unveiled the Osborne 1 at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco. It cost $1,795 at retail.

In 2000 – U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled Microsoft violated the nation’s antitrust laws by using its monopoly power in personal computer operating systems to stifle competition.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

In 1973 – Lexis launched Computerized Legal Searching. It was limited to searching the full text of cases in Ohio and New York.

In 1978 – The patent expired on Swiss inventor George de Mestral’s invention of a hook and loop fastener he called Velcro. Soon children everywhere no longer had to learn to tie shoes quite so early in life.

In 1980 – Microsoft Corporation announced their first hardware product the Z80 SoftCard for Apple. It was a microprocessor on a printed circuit board that plugged into the Apple II and sold for $349.00.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.