Start of the Electrical Age
On September 4, 1882, Thomas Edison began providing electricity to a portion of New York City, an event often considered the start of the electrical age.
Technology
Early Commercial Radio
On August 20, 1920, Detroit’s 8MK radio station began daily broadcasts. Still in operation today, the station often claims to be the first commercial radio station, though a few others have also staked their claim on that title.
U.S. Post Offices Takes Over Airmail Flights
On August 12, 1918, the US Post Office Department took over control of airmail service from the US Army Air Service. Under the Post Office Department, the service flourished, leading to transcontinental airmail service, which was eventually taken over by private companies.
The World Wide Web
On August 6, 1991, Tim Berners-Lee published the first-ever website, heralding the start of the world wide web. The web has grown to over 1.8 billion websites today, and continues to grow every day.
Winton Auto Test-Drive
On July 28, 1897, Alexander Winton began a nine-day test-drive of his automobile, proving its reliability to investors. Winton went on to become the top-selling automobile manufacturer for several years. He had more than 100 patents, and often allowed others to use them for free when safety was involved.
The Soo Locks
On June 18, 1855, the first ship passed through the Soo Locks, located on the St. Mary’s River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Today there are four locks, and an average of 10,000 ships pass through them each year.
Opening of the Golden Gate Bridge
On May 28, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge officially opened to traffic. It was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time of its opening and was dubbed a “Wonder of the World” structure.
The First Telegraphic Message
On May 24, 1844, Samuel Morse sent the first message over telegraph. While in the Supreme Court chamber of the US Capitol, he sent the message “What hath God wrought!” over the telegraph to his assistant in Baltimore, Maryland.
Birth of Ottmar Mergenthaler
Inventor Ottmar Mergenthaler was born on May 11, 1854, in Hatchel, Kingdom of Württemberg (present-day Baden-Württemberg). Mergenthaler invented the linotype machine, which made it quicker and easier to set complete lines of type for printing presses, revolutionizing printing in the 19th century.