THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

06 February, 1959 – The first microchip is patented

For his invention of the integrated circuit, Jack Kilby was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.


07 February, 1984 – NASA astronauts take the first untethered spacewalk

The photographs of Bruce McCandless and Robert L. Stewart hovering freely in space became some of the most iconic images of the 1980s.


08 February, 1960 – The first eight stars are added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame

More than 2400 five-pointed stars have since been embedded in the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street to honour stars of the entertainment industry.


09 February, 1969 – The Boeing 747 flies for the first time

The “Jumbo Jet” was the world's largest passenger aircraft at the time.


10 February, 1996 – Deep Blue becomes the first computer to win a chess game against a reigning world champion

Despite his defeat in the first game, Russian world champion Garry Kasparov proceeded to win the match by 4-2 games.


11 February, 1938 – BBC broadcasts Karel Capek’s R.U.R., the world's first science fiction TV program

The Czech play whose abbreviated title stands for Rossum's Universal Robots, introduced the word “robot” to the English language.


12 February, 1924 – George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue premieres

The piece is among Gershwin's best-known compositions and one of the most popular pieces of the symphonic jazz genre.

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