1962 – Ferranti Ltd. switched on the Atlas, the UK’s first supercomputer. It was the most powerful computer in the world at the time and doubled the UK’s scientific computing capability.
http://googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.com/2012/12/remembering-ferranti-atlas-uks-first.html
1963 – The CBS broadcast of the college football game between Army and Navy featured the first use of video instant replay during a sports telecast. Some people got confused and called to complain.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19727_7-57337961-10170017/the-birth-of-instant-replay/
1972 – The last Apollo moon mission, Apollo 17 was launched. The crew took the famous Blue Marble picture that now graces desktop background everywhere.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo17.html
1999 – The Recording Industry Association of America sued 6-month-old Napster. The Industry refused to settle, thus insuring that digital music sales would remain low for years to come.
Read Tom’s science fiction and other fiction books at Merritt’s Books site.