In 1992 – The first text message was sent on Vodafone’s U.K. network from a PC to a mobile device with the message “Merry Christmas.”
In 1994 – The Sony PlayStation game console went on sale in Japan.
In 1999 – NASA lost radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before the spacecraft entered the Martian atmosphere. It just wasn’t a good year for Mars exploration.
In 2001 – In Bryant Park in Manhattan, Inventor Dean Kamen unveiled a secret project with the codename “Ginger” that Steve Jobs reportedly said would cause cities to be re-architected. The Segway Personal Transporter has become iconic for mall cops and mailmen.
Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
My son and the Playstation are the same age! He’s stoked about that.