December 19

Make SCORE satellite logo

1852: Nobel physicist Albert Michelson, who first accurately measured the speed of light, was born. 1915: Alois Alzheimer, who discovered the disease named after him, died. 1930: Amelia Earhart became the first autogyro pilot to carry a passenger - in the PCA-2 Pitcairn Autogyro. 1936: Juan de la Ciervra, inventor of the autogiro, died in an airplane accident. 1953: Robert Millikan of charged oil drop experiment fame and Nobel laureate, died. 1958: The first known radio broadcast from outer space was made from a pre-recorded tape aboard the SCORE satellite for President Eisenhower's Christmas message. 1972: Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, winding up the Apollo program of manned lunar landings. 1974: The Altair 8800 microcomputer was first put on sale as a do-it-yourself computer kit, and cost $397. 1984: Great Britain agreed to hand over Hong Kong to China in 1997. 1997: Masaru Ibuka, who founded the company that became Sony Corporation, died.