August 10th
Supposedly known as ‘National S’mores Day’! Although it is not listed as a ‘national’ holiday, many Americans celebrate August 10th with S’mores. And why not? Delicious.
August 14 1989 – Sega released the Sega Genesis two years prior to the release of Nintendo’s Super NES. Sega then released what became one of the most infamous ad campaigns in video-game history, Genesis Does What Nintendon’t.
August 12th 1990 – The most complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex was discovered near Faith, South Dakota. The skeleton was named ‘Sue’ and can now be found at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.
August 8th 1948 – Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya was born. Known as the second woman to travel into space, she became the first woman to perform a ‘spacewalk.’ A spacewalk is work done away from Earth and outside of a space craft.
August 11th 1874 – The patent for sprinkler heads was granted to Harry S. Parmelee of New Haven, Connecticut. A happy day for both inventors and gardeners everywhere.
August 13th 1818 – Lucy Stone, a prominent American abolitionist, women’s rights activist, and co-founder of American Suffrage Association is born. She was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree. Stone spoke out for women’s rights and against slavery at a time when women were discouraged and prevented from public speaking. She was the first recorded American woman to retain her last name after marriage.
August 9th 480 BC – Leonidas, the hero-king of Sparta who was touted in mythology as a decedent of Heracles, dies in the Battle of Thermopylae. Thousands of years later, his story would be retold by Frank Miller in his graphic novel, 300. Miller would later band together with Zak Snyder to create a film version of the graphic novel that has definitely Sparta-kicked its mark on geek culture.
August 6th 1986 – Metroid was released in Japan, which made Samus Aran one of the first female protagonists in a video game. Metroid followed the missions of the bounty hunter as she protected the galaxy from space pirates and combined the gaming platforms of Super Mario Brothers with the exploration aspect of Legend of Zelda.
August 7th 1970 – The first all-computer chess tournament is held. Because chess club wasn’t geeky enough already?
The winner was CHESS 3.0, created by Larry Atkin, Keith Gorlen, and David Slate from Northwestern University. The North American Computer Chess Championship had a variety of winners from 1970 to 1994.
August 3rd 1970 – Masahiro Sakurai , the creator of Kirby, is born. Sakurai would create this character a mere 22 years into his life. Kirby’s first appearance in the 1992 video game, Kirby’s Dream Land, created a well-loved Nintendo franchise. Evolving from a black and white appearance on the Game Boy, his latest adventures in Kirby’s Epic Yarn are in color on the Wii.
August 4th 1922 – All telephones in North America — about 13 million — go silent for the space of one minute at sunset during the funeral services of Alexander Graham Bell as a commemoration of his work. Bell passed away two days prior on August 2, 1922.
August 5th 1920 – Senator Warren G. Harding wired Republican leaders in the Tennessee legislature urging support for the suffragist movement. Senator Harding sent telegrams to two leading women in the suffrage movement — Mrs.Carrie Chapman Catt and Mrs.George Milton — telling them it looked hopeful for women getting the vote in Tennessee.
August 2nd 1870 – Tower Subway became the first tube railway in the world. The six foot diameter tunnel was created by James Henry and opened near the tower of London. The first shuttles to use this tunnel were twelve seat carriages moved with wires drawn by steam engines. Unfortunately, due to frequent breakdowns, Tower Subway would be shut down within three months of its launch.
August 1st 1774 – The element oxygen was independently discovered for the third time by Joseph Priestly. Priestley discovered that mercury heated in air became coated with a red rust, which, when heated separately, would convert back to mercury and give off “air.” He also observed that flames burned brighter with this gas and that a mouse could breathe longer in an encased box with it rather than without it. It may seem a little obvious to us now, but the concept of oxygen was foreign in 1774. Joseph Priestley published his conclusions in 1775, giving the element a name and Priestly most of the credit for this discovery.
