THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

03 April, 1885 – Gottlieb Daimler patents his engine design

The German engineer's so-called “grandfather clock engine” was lighter than previous four-stroke engines and is considered a milestone for the invention of the automobile.


04 April, 1969 – Denton Cooley implants the first artificial heart

The machine kept patient Haskell Karp alive for 65 hours. He died before a human heart could become available.


05 April, 1998 – The world's largest suspension bridge opens to traffic

The Akashi Kaiky? Bridge in Japan features the world's longest central span, measuring 1991 meters (6532 feet).


06 April, 1909 – Robert Peary allegedly becomes the first person to reach the North Pole

Peary's claim has never been verified and is widely contested. The first undisputed journey to the North Pole was the 1948 Soviet Sever-2 expedition.


07 April, 1969 – The internet is born

The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) awarded a contract to build a precursor of today's World Wide Web to BBN Technologies. The date is widely considered as the internet's symbolic birthday.


08 April, 1959 – One of the first modern programming languages is created

The Common Business-Oriented Language or COBOL was primarily designed by a woman, Grace Hopper. Also known as Amazing Grace, she is regarded as one of the pioneers in the field.


09 April, 1860 – The world's first recording of the human voice is created

French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville used his phonautograph, the earliest known sound recording device, to capture himself singing the French folk song Au clair de la lune.

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