January 19

1736: James Watt, inventor of the steam engine and after whom the unit of power is named, was born. 1747: German astronomer Johann Bode, who formulated Bode's Law governing planet distance from the sun, was born. 1883: Thomas Edison's first village electric lighting system using overhead wires began operation in Roselle, NJ. 1903: President Theodore Roosevelt sent the first trans-Atlantic, wireless telegraph message to King Edward VII of England. 1904: Thomas Edison was issued a patent for an Electrical Automobile. 1915: George Claude patented the neon tube advertising sign. Also in 1915, more than 20 people were killed when German zeppelins bombed England for the first time. 1922: U.S. Geological Survey predicted that the U.S. oil supply will last only 20 years. 1937: Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds. 1983: The Apple "Lisa" computer, which was the first with a GUI, was released. 2038: The Unix time stamp (POSIX) becomes technically obsolete - the Y2.038k problem. 1977: Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered the non-planet Pluto, died.