23 January, 1960 – The Trieste dives to a record depth of 10,911 meters

Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh reached the bottom of Challenger Deep, the Earth's deepest known point.

24 January, 1984 – The Apple Macintosh computer goes on sale

The “Mac” was the first commercially successful personal computer using a graphical user interface and a mouse.

25 January, 1977 – The world's first solar power plant is opened

The solar furnace in Odeillo, France was the first power plant providing alternative energy.

26 January, 1905 – The world's largest diamond is found in South Africa

The Cullinan Diamond weighed 3106.75 carats (621.35 g or 1.37 lb) and has an estimated value of two billion USD.

27 January, 1967 – Three astronauts die in a cabin fire while preparing for the Apollo 1 mission

The accident was a blow to NASA's Apollo manned lunar landing programme.

28 January, 1958 – The Lego brick is patented

The Lego Company has since produced 500 billion lego elements, amounting to 10 lego towers from Earth to the Moon.

29 January, 1996 – France stops nuclear testing

President Jaques Chirac announced the “definite end” to France's nuclear testing program just one day after the country exploded a nuclear device in the South Pacific.