This Week in History of the Geek
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.
