In 1889 – Herman Hollerith received a patent for his electronic tabulating machine. His Tabulating Machine Company would go on to merge with three others and be called International Business Machines, known today as IBM.
In 1973 – Less than a month after Apollo 17, the last manned Moon mission, the USSR launched space mission Luna 21 carrying lunar rover Lunakhod 2.
In 1982 – The United States vs. AT&T settlement was finalized with AT&T agreeing to divest itself of local exchanges in exchange for being allowed to start AT&T Computer Systems. Like Voltron, the behemoth would eventually reassemble.
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I’ve been trying to figure out for years how Ma Bell was able to reassemble. I remember the big breakup and I always wonder why the government bothered to break her up, if she was going to be allowed to reassemble herself.