Technorama

Coming up in this episode…

* Twisted pair barb wire

* Cassette Tapes

* Antartica

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

Feedback

* If you were in the virtual world, what would your pop culture avatar be?

* Voice mail from Krazy Joe

* Tiffany Mangan: Danaerys Stormborn on her dragon

* John Miller Jr. – Optimus Prime

On This Day In History for January 10, 2018

This is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 355 days remaining in 2018.

* It was on this date in 1776, that Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense.

* On January 10, 1812, the first steamboat on the Ohio River or the Mississippi River arrives in New Orleans, 82 days after departing from Pittsburgh.

* The Metropolitan Railway, the world’s oldest underground railway, opens between Paddington and Farringdon, marking the beginning of the London Underground on this date in 1863.

* January 10, 1870, John D. Rockefeller incorporates Standard Oil.

* 117 years ago today, the first great Texas oil gusher is discovered at Spindletop in Beaumont, Texas.

* Also today in 1927, Fritz Lang’s futuristic film Metropolis is released in Germany.

* 56 years ago today, NASA announces plans to build the C-5 rocket launch vehicle, which became known as the Saturn V Moon rocket, which launched every Apollo Moon mission.

* Time Warner is formed by the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications on this date in 1990.

Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

* German astronomer, Simon Marius, born on this date in 1573.

* Lazzaro Spallanzani, the Italian priest, biologist, and physiologist was born 289 years ago today.

* English physician and academic, founded Birkbeck, University of London, George Birkbeck was born 242 years ago today.

* Born January 10, 1780, German physician and explorer Martin Lichtenstein.

* Carl Ritter von Ghega, Italian-Austrian engineer, designed the Semmering railway was born on that same date in 1802.

* Italian paleontologist, archaeologist, and ethnographer, Luigi Pigorini, born on this date in 1842.

* American architect, designed the Rookery Building and Monadnock Building, John Wellborn Root was born 168 years ago today.

* Issai Schur, German mathematician and academic was born on that same date in 1875.

* Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy, the Russian journalist, author, and poet was born 135 years ago today.

* Born January 10, 1891, German mathematician and academic Heinrich Behmann.

* Katharine Burr Blodgett, the American physicist and engineer was born 120 years ago today.

* American engineer and inventor, Gordon Kidd Teal was born 111 years ago today.

* Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate was born on that same date in 1916.

* American businessman, Roy E. Disney was born 88 years ago today.

* Also born on that same date in 1938,  American computer scientist and mathematician, Donald Knuth.

* American singer-songwriter and musician, Donald Fagen is 70 today.

* Also turning 65 today is American singer-songwriter Pat Benatar.

* Also born on that same date in 1962,  American computer scientist and academic, Kathryn S. McKinley.

Listener Birthdays

* 03 – Thomas Gideon (The Command Line Podcast)

* 06 – Steve Therrien (Canada)

* 08 – Elvis!

* 09 – Lingo from the Brit & Yankee pubcast

* 14 – Glynne Tolar

Coming up in this episode…

* AOL

* Robots

* Elon Musk

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

On This Day In History for December 20, 2017

This is the 354th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 11 days remaining in 2017.

* It was on this date in 1606, that The Virginia Company loads three ships with settlers and sets sail to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.

* It was 214 years ago today, that The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans.

* Adolf Hitler is released from Landsberg Prison on this date in 1924.

* Also today in 1946, The popular Christmas film It’s a Wonderful Life is first released in New York City.

* Also on December 20, 1951, The EBR-1 in Arco, Idaho becomes the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity. The electricity powered four light bulbs.

* That same date in 1957, The initial production version of the Boeing 707 makes its first flight.

* A Pennsylvania Railroad Budd Metroliner exceeds 155 mph on their New York Division, also present day Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor on this date in 1967.

* It was also this date in 1971 that The international aid organization Doctors Without Borders is founded by Bernard Kouchner and a group of journalists in Paris, France.

* China successfully launches the Bolivian Túpac Katari 1 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on this date in 2013.

Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

* French mathematician and cartographer, Oronce Finé, born on this date in 1494.

* Czech chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate, Jaroslav Heyrovský was born 127 years ago today.

* Born December 20, 1901, American physicist and academic, invented the Van de Graaff generator Robert J. Van de Graaff.

* American actor, John Hillerman, born on this date in 1932.

* Also born on that same date in 1945,  American singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer, Peter Criss.

* English keyboard player and producer, Alan Parsons, born on this date in 1948.

* English mathematician and academic, Geoffrey Grimmett is 67 today.

* Also turning 41 today is Welsh game designer and businessman, co-founded Meteor Games Adam Powell.

* If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for December 20, 2017

News

* RIP, AOL Instant Messenger

* Robots Are Being Used To Shoo Away Homeless People In San Francisco – Slashdot

Hacks & Strange Stories

* Elon Musk Tweets The Number 35,000 And Things Take An Unexpected Turn | Bored Panda

Shout out to the chat room

What us live every Sunday night at 9:30PM ET on Facebook. Go to Join our page and get notified automatically. Join us on the live chat!

Remember When

* Y2K Warning sticker from Best Buy circa 1999

* Y2k Book

Thank you Patrons!

This show is brought to you by… YOU! Thank you to our Patrons who enable us to keep the show running and bring you special ...

 

Coming up in this episode…

* Famous Robots

* Brain Candy

* Luke Incarnate

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

On This Day In History for December 13, 2017

This is the 347th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 18 days remaining in 2017.

* It was on this date in 1577, that Sir Francis Drake sets sail from Plymouth, England, on his round-the-world voyage.

* It was 89 years ago today, that George Gershwin’s An American in Paris is first performed.

* Also on December 13, 1962, NASA launches Relay 1, the first active repeater communications satellite in orbit.

* Also today in 1972, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt begin the third and final extra-vehicular activity (EVA) or “Moonwalk” of Apollo 17. To date they are the last humans to set foot on the Moon.

Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

* English chemist and academic, Robert Plot, born on this date in 1640.

* Born December 13, 1662, Italian astronomer and philosopher Francesco Bianchini.

* Franz Aepinus, the German astronomer and philosopher was born 293 years ago today.

* Born December 13, 1780, German chemist, invented the Döbereiner’s lamp Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner.

* Werner von Siemens, German engineer and businessman, founded Siemens was born on that same date in 1816.

* 16th First Lady of the United States, Mary Todd Lincoln was born 199 years ago today.

* Danish feminist, novelist and telegraphist, Mathilde Fibiger, born on this date in 1830.

* Kristian Birkeland, the Norwegian physicist and author was born 150 years ago today.

* American mathematician, Annie Dale Biddle Andrews was born 132 years ago today.

* Born December 13, 1887, Hungarian-American mathematician and academic George Pólya.

* American actor, singer, and dancer, Dick Van Dyke, born on this date in 1925.

* Also turning 88 today is Canadian actor and producer Christopher Plummer.

* Also born on that same date in 1948,  American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor, Ted Nugent.

* American actor, Jamie Foxx, born on this date in 1967.

Listener Birthdays

* 07 – Peter aka Zzippster from the Zzipp and Co. Podcast, Weymouth, Dorset, UK

* 08 – DanDman

* 08 – Gydian (Michael H.)

* 09 – Steve Kite (BigUnit62)

* 12 – Deckrd

* 12 – Kevin Burns (Soleblaze)

* 12 – Matt Blocker TheGiant

* 12 – Rob Riehl (suriehl)

* 14 – Michael Spence from Brother Osric’s Scriptorium

* 17 – Jorge Schrauwen

* 20 – Phil Burchill 42 this year (2015)! Ten years of listening to Technorama!

* 21 – James Ballard KarakSindru

* 22 – Bo Pace

* 22 – Luke “Chuck’s Stalker” Smith (2000)

* 22 – Jason Pelloni, Tampa, FL

* If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for December 13, 2017

News

* Mark Hamill visited a sick child

* One of the Most Famous Movie Robots of All Time Just Sold for $5.4 Million

Hacks & Strange Stories

*

Coming up in this episode…

* One

* Two

* Three

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

On This Day In History for November 29, 2017

This is the 333rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 32 days remaining in 2017

* It was on this date in 1877, that Thomas Edison demonstrates his phonograph for the first time.

* On November 29, 1929, U.S. Admiral Richard E. Byrd leads the first expedition to fly over the South Pole.

* November 29, 1961, Enos, a chimpanzee, is launched into space. The spacecraft orbits the Earth twice and splashes down off the coast of Puerto Rico as part of the Mercury-Atlas 5 mission.

* 45 years ago today, Atari announces the release of Pong, the first commercially successful video game.

Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

* American philosopher and academic, Amos Bronson Alcott, born on this date in 1799.

* Austrian mathematician and physicist, Christian Doppler was born 214 years ago today.

* John Ambrose Fleming, the English physicist and engineer was born 168 years ago today.

* American mathematician and academic, Suzan Rose Benedict, born on this date in 1873.

* Born November 29, 1920, American chemist and academic, developed spandex Joseph Shivers.

* Also turning 97 today is Russian engineer and politician Yegor Ligachyov.

* American horn player and composer, Chuck Mangione is 77 today.

* American comedian, actor, and screenwriter, Garry Shandling was born 68 years ago today.

Listener Birthdays

December

* 01 – Claudio Miranda (ClaudioM)

* 02 – Ben Fryxell from the MacMania Podcast

* If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for November 29, 2017

News

* Yellowstone Supervolcano May Rumble to Life Faster Than Thought

* Humans vs. Robots: Artificial Intelligence Beats Top Pilot in NASA and Google Drone Race

* Research Says This Required Job Skill Will Trump Emotional Intelligence by the Year 2020 | Inc.com

Hacks & Strange Stories

* The Rise and Fall of Nikola Tesla and his Tower | History | Smithsonian

Shout out to the chat room

What us live every Sunday night at 9:30PM ET on Facebook. Go to Join our page and get notified automatically. Join us on the live chat!

Remember When

* Why most satellites are destroyed at this one spot on Earth – Business Insider

* Here’s what we had to say about Voyager 1 when it launched 40 years ago | Popular Science

Thank you Patrons!

This show is brought to you by… YOU! Thank you to our Patrons who enable us to keep the show running and bring you special episodes.

Avner Braverman

Ben Vaughan

Mike WIlls

Leon

John Noble

Amy Bowen

Chris MC

Alexis Duran

Coming up in this episode…

* Printers

* Stars and Planets

* Snowflake

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

Feedback

* Avner loves “Gandalf the Fuscia”

On This Day In History for November 22, 2017

This is the 326th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 39 days remaining in 2017.

* It was on this date in 1928, that the premier performance of Ravel’s Boléro takes place in Paris.

* Also on November 22, 1935, the China Clipper inaugurates the first commercial transpacific air service, connecting Alameda, California with Manila.

* November 22, 1954, the Humane Society of the United States is founded.

* It was 54 years ago today, that U.S. President John F. Kennedy is assassinated and Texas Governor John Connally is seriously wounded by Lee Harvey Oswald.

* Also today in 1968, The Beatles release The Beatles (known popularly as The White Album).

* 40 years ago today, British Airways inaugurates a regular London to New York City supersonic Concorde service.

* Also on November 22, 1987, Two Chicago television stations are hijacked by an unknown pirate dressed as Max Headroom.

* It was 29 years ago today, in Palmdale, California, the first prototype B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is revealed.

* 22 years ago today, Toy Story is released as the first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery.

Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

* English ornithologist and ichthyologist, Francis Willughby, born on this date in 1635.

* René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, French-American explorer was born on that same date in 1643.

* English businessman, founder of the Thomas Cook Group, Thomas Cook was born 209 years ago today.

* Born November 22, 1897, German astronomer and educator  Paul Oswald Ahnert.

* French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate, Louis Néel, born on this date in 1904.

* Mikhail Mil, the Russian engineer, founded the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant was born 108 years ago today.

* American colonel, pilot, and astronaut,  Guion Bluford is 75 today.

* American computer scientist, engineer, and academic, Elaine Weyuker, born on this date in 1945.

* Also turning 67 today is American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor  Steven Van Zandt.

* American actress, Jamie Lee Curtis, born on this date in 1958.

* American computer programmer and author, Randal L. Schwartz is 56 today.

* Also born on that same date in 1961, American actress,  Mariel Hemingway.

* American actor and activist, Mark Ruffalo, born on this date in 1967.

* Also turning 44 today is American astronomer and scholar Chad Trujillo.

* Also born on that same date in 1980, American computer programmer and businessman, founded Napster,  Shawn Fanning.

* American actress, Scarlett Johansson, born on this date in 1984.

Listener Birthdays

November

* 22 – Tom Posz – (from California, USA)

* 25 – Lane Williams

* 26 – Joanie

* 27 – Brad P. from NJ

* 28 – Ben Sweetser

* If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for November 22, 2017

News

* The ISS is getting a long, long overdue printer upgrade

Coming up in this episode…

* Amazon

* Apple

* PIY

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

Feedback

* Postcard from Jorge

* QoTW: What is the most useless piece of knowledge you are proud to carry around?

* John Miller Jr – How the mail argonaut octopus mates with the femail. Google it. You won’t be able to unlearn what you learn.

On This Day In History for November 1, 2017

This is the 305th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 60 days remaining in 2017.

* It was on this date in 1512, that  The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, is exhibited to the public for the first time.

* November 1, 1520,  The Strait of Magellan, the passage immediately south of mainland South America connecting the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, is first discovered and navigated by European explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the first recorded circumnavigation voyage.

* In Boston, Massachusetts, the first medical school for women, Boston Female Medical School (which later merged with the Boston University School of Medicine), opens on this date in 1848.

* That same date in 1870,  In the United States, the Weather Bureau (later renamed the National Weather Service) makes its first official meteorological forecast.

* Also on November 1, 1894,  Thomas Edison films American sharpshooter Annie Oakley, which is instrumental in her hiring by Buffalo Bill for his Wild West Show.

* It was on this date in 1896, that  A picture showing the bare breasts of a woman appears in National Geographic magazine for the first time.

* November 1, 1941,  American photographer Ansel Adams takes a picture of a moonrise over the town of Hernandez, New Mexico that would become one of the most famous images in the history of photography.

* It was on this date in 1952, that  The United States successfully detonates Ivy Mike, the first thermonuclear device, at the Eniwetok atoll. The explosion had a yield of ten megatons TNT equivalent.

* 60 years ago today,  The Mackinac Bridge, the world’s longest suspension bridge between anchorages at the time, opens to traffic connecting Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas.

* Also on November 1, 1963,  The Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, with the largest radio telescope ever constructed, officially opens.

* It was on this date in 1968, that  The Motion Picture Association of America’s film rating system is officially introduced, originating with the ratings G, M, R, and X.

Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

* German meteorologist and geophysicist,  Alfred Wegener, born on this date in 1880.

* American publisher, founded Larry Flynt Publications,  Larry Flynt is 75 today.

* Marcia Wallace, American actress and comedian was born on that same date in 1942.

* Also turning 68 today is American physicist and engineer  Michael D. Griffin.

* American computer programmer and businessman, founded Lotus Software and Electronic Frontier Foundation, Mitch Kapor is 67 today.

* Also born on that same date in 1950,  American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate,  Robert B. Laughlin.

* American businessman and engineer, current CEO of Apple Inc,  Tim Cook is 57 today.

Listener Birthdays

* 01 – Amber Elstad

* 02 – Mark McCoy

* 03 – Ken Pace

* 03 – Craig Glassner (aka Ranger Craig)

* 04 – Avner (OMG, its 2014 – I’m 40 already)

* 05 – Michael Corlett (from New Zealand)

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for November 1, 2017

* If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar,

Coming up in this episode…

* Uber

* Rockets

* Both Together!

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

Feedback

* From Mad Marv: I think I heard you ask about anime recommendations in the latest Patreon episode.  I think you should see Macross Plus.  If you are familiar with the Robotech cartoon from the 80’s all you need to know is that this is takes place in that world in a future time.  If you never saw Robotech, it’s one of the original giant robot cartoons that molded Japanese sci-fi the way Star Wars and Star Trek molded American sci-fi.

The animation in this mini-series was one of the earliest to use computers.  I don’t think you can call it CGI because Macross Plus was released in 1994 and therefore computers were probably running Windows 3.0.

You can stream the series on Amazon for about $6, I haven’t really seen it offered anywhere else.

Marv

* Q: What is the greatest animated show ever?

* Twitter answers

* More Answers on Facebook

On This Day In History for October 4, 2017

This is the 277th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 88 days remaining in 2017.

* It was on this date in 1535, that the first complete English-language Bible (the Coverdale Bible) is printed, with translations by William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale.

* Napoleon Bonaparte first rises to national prominence by suppressing armed counter-revolutionary rioters threatening the National Convention on this date in 1795.

* On October 4, 1830,  The Provisional Government of Belgium secedes from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

* Texas A&M University opens as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, becoming the first public institution of higher education in Texas on this date in 1876.

* It was 134 years ago today, that  First run of the Orient Express.

* On October 4, 1927, Gutzon Borglum begins sculpting Mount Rushmore.

* October 4, 1957,  Space Race: Launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.

* Richard Noble sets a new land speed record of 633.468 miles per hour (1,019.468 km/h), driving Thrust2 at the Black Rock Desert in Nevada on this date in 1983.

* It was on this date in 1985, that  The Free Software Foundation is founded in Massachusetts, United States.

* Also on October 4, 2004,  SpaceShipOne wins Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight, by being the first private craft to fly into space.

* October 4, 2006,  Wikileaks is launched by Julian Assange.

Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

* Danish astronomer and author,  Christen Sørensen Longomontanus, born on this date in 1562.

* Florence Eliza Allen, the American mathematician and suffrage activist was born 141 years ago today.

* Born October 4, 1895, American film actor, director, and producer  Buster Keaton.

* English reporter, who secretly posed as a man to become a soldier during World War I (died 1964),  Dorothy Lawrence, born on this date in 1896.

* John Vincent Atanasoff, the American physicist and academic, invented the Atanasoff-Berry computer was born 114 years ago today.

* Born October 4, 1916, American comedian, actor, and game show host  Jan Murray.

* Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate,  Vitaly Ginzburg was born 101 years ago today.

* Kenichi Fukui,

Coming up in this episode…

* Cassini

* Apple stores renamed

* Michael Jackson game

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes and video from the show.

Feedback

* Question of the (last) week: How much of your body would you cybernetically enhance if you could?

* Scott Tyler: That’s a dangerous question!

* Eric Alexander: None… But if I lost my limbs I would like super powered robot arms and legs! Lol

* John Miller Jr: I’ll take a full body enhancement. Super strength, bulletproof, don’t need to sleep or breathe, and powered by LINUX!! I’d be UNSTOPPABLE!!!

* Weber Baker: I’d be happy just to get my knees back like they were 20 years ago, let alone ‘enhanced’.

* JT Shea: Eyes, teeth, hearing to start.

On This Day In History for September 20, 2017

This is the 263rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 102 days remaining in 2017.

* It was on this date in 1519, that  Ferdinand Magellan sets sail from Sanlúcar de Barrameda with about 270 men on his expedition to circumnavigate the globe.

* The American Association for the Advancement of Science is created on this date in 1848.

* It was also this date in 1893 that  Charles Duryea and his brother road-test the first American-made gasoline-powered automobile.

* Also on September 20, 1906,  Cunard Line’s RMS Mauretania is launched at the Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson shipyard in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

* 71 years ago today,  The first Cannes Film Festival is held, having been delayed seven years due to World War II.

* RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 is launched at John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland on this date in 1967.

Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

* Russian admiral, cartographer, and explorer,  Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, born on this date in 1778.

* Scottish-English chemist and physicist,  James Dewar was born 175 years ago today.

* Carleton Ellis, the American inventor and chemist was born 141 years ago today.

* Vera Faddeeva, Russian mathematician was born on that same date in 1906.

* Also born on that same date in 1934,  Italian actress,  Sophia Loren.

* Also turning 69 today is American novelist and short story writer George R. R. Martin.

* American actor and director,  Peter Scolari, born on this date in 1955.

Listener Birthdays

* 20 – Marilyn Taylor

* 20 – Joel Harper (Rincewind) / Milwaukee WI

* 20 – Joel Rickenbach [deceased] (host of the You’ve Got Geek Podcast)

* 20 – LeeAnn McBride

* 21 – Dean Jensen (Beaker1)

* 21 – Charles McFall

* 21 – Charlie Cavanaugh Toft

* 22 – Matthew Tjarks (Jharks)

* 24 – Mike Stockman

* 26 – Brett (from Wales)

* 26 – Cian Mac Mahon

* If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for September 20, 2017

News

* Cassini plunges into its own Science

* UCS Millennium Falcon Has Sold Out!

* Apple Stores To Become ‘Town Squares’

(break) – PIY Promo

Shout out to the chat room

What us live every Sunday night at 9:30PM ET on Facebook. Go to Join our page and get notified automatically. Join us on the live chat!

Remember When

Coming up in this episode…

* Kitty tires

* Where’s my house?!

* What George Wants

Listen below with the audio player or Click Here for complete show notes from the show.

Feedback

On This Day In History for September 13, 2017

This is the 256th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 109 days remaining in 2017.

* It was on this date in 1501, that  Michelangelo begins work on his statue of David.

* That same date in 1609,  Henry Hudson reaches the river that would later be named after him – the Hudson River.

* Also on September 13, 1788,  The Philadelphia Convention sets the date for the first presidential election in the United States, and New York City becomes the country’s temporary capital.

* It was on this date in 1850, that  First ascent of Piz Bernina, the highest summit of the eastern Alps.

* Also today in 1898,  Hannibal Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film.

* It was also this date in 1899 that  Henry Bliss is the first person in the United States to be killed in an automobile accident.

* Also today in 1906,  First flight of a fixed-wing aircraft in Europe.

* It was 61 years ago today, that  The IBM 305 RAMAC is introduced, the first commercial computer to use disk storage.

* September 13, 1985,  Super Mario Bros. is released in Japan for the NES, which starts the Super Mario series of platforming games.

Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

* American inventor, engineer and businessman,  Oliver Evans, born on this date in 1755.

* Milton S. Hershey, American businessman, founded The Hershey Company was born on that same date in 1857.

* Born September 13, 1873, German mathematician and author  Constantin Carathéodory.

* German-Swiss explorer,  Wilhelm Filchner was born 140 years ago today.

* Born September 13, 1886, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate  Robert Robinson.

* American singer-songwriter and conductor,  Ray Charles, born on this date in 1918.

* Mel Tormé, the American singer-songwriter and actor was born 92 years ago today.

* American animator, director, and producer, co-founded Sullivan Bluth Studios and Fox Animation Studios,  Don Bluth is 80 today.

* Also turning 73 today is American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer  Peter Cetera.

* English actress and producer,  Jacqueline Bisset is 73 today.

Listener Birthdays

* 14 – Andrew Peters (Perl Hacker from the UK)

* 15 – Mary Brown

* 16 – Billy Flynn

* 18 – Jeff Schultz (Gorbash)

* 19 – Viv Schubert

If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our Wiki.

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for September 13, 2017

News

* Shropshire farm done with robots

Hacks & Strange Stories

* Russian family comes home to find house gone

* Hello Kitty Tires are here!

Shout out to the chat room

What us live every Sunday night at 9:30PM ET on Facebook. Go to Join our page and get notified automatically. Join us on the live chat!

Remember When

* 800 year old scroll

Thank you Patrons!

This show is brought to you by… YOU! Thank you to our Patrons who enable us to keep the show running and bring you special epi...

Jill Tarter holds the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI Research at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California and serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for that institution. She received her Bachelor of Engineering Physics Degree with Distinction from Cornell University and her Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Tarter has spent the majority of her professional career attempting to answer the age old human question “Are we alone?” by searching for evidence of technological civilizations beyond Earth.

She served as Project Scientist for NASA’s SETI program, the High Resolution Microwave Survey and has conducted numerous observational programs at radio observatories worldwide. She is a Fellow of the AAAS, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Explorers Club, she was named one of the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2004, and one of the Time 25 in Space in 2012, received a TED prize in 2009, two public service awards from NASA, multiple awards for communicating science to the public, and has been honored as a woman in technology.

She was the 2014 Jansky Lecturer. In 2015-16 she served as President of the California Academy of Sciences. There’s even an asteroid – 74824 Tarter (1999 TJ16) named in her honor.

Since the termination of funding for NASA’s SETI program in 1993, she has served in a leadership role to design and build the Allen Telescope Array and to secure private funding to continue the exploratory science of SETI. Many people are now familiar with her work as portrayed by Jodie Foster in the movie Contact.

 

Find out more about Dr. Tarter in this very enjoyable book: