| Date | Text | |
|---|---|---|
30 Nov 1980
Stephen Jay Gould |
Stephen Jay Gould (biology) Publication of Stephen Jay Gould's critique of biological determinism, The Mismeasure of Man, in the United States. |
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30 Nov 1980
Michael R. Harrison |
Michael R. Harrison (medicine) April 26 - Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco, performs the world's first human open fetal surgery. |
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30 Nov 1980
AIDS |
AIDS (medicine) June 5 - AIDS pandemic begins when the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports an unusual cluster of Pneumocystis pneumonia in five homosexual men in Los Angeles. |
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30 Nov 1980
Bruce Reitz |
Bruce Reitz (medicine) Dr. Bruce Reitz performs the first successful heart–lung transplant on Mary Gohlke at Stanford Hospital. |
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30 Nov 1980
Turing Award |
Turing Award (awards) Turing Award – Edgar F. Codd |
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30 Nov 1980
Niels Erik Nørlund |
death Niels Erik Nørlund July 4 - Niels Erik Nørlund (b. 1885), Danish mathematician. |
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05 Jan 1981
Harold Urey |
death Harold Urey Harold Urey (b. 1893), American winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. |
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05 Mar 1981
ZX81 |
ZX81 (computer science) The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer, is launched by Sinclair Research, going on to sell over 1.5 million units worldwide. |
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09 Mar 1981
Max Delbrück |
death Max Delbrück Max Delbrück (b. 1906), German biologist. |
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22 Mar 1981
VideoDisc |
VideoDisc In 1981, RCA first put on sale the SelectaVision VideoDisc, exactly 10 years after RCA applied for the first patents. Based on electronic capacitance technology, RCA VideoDiscs contained a groove of varying depth which was played with a stylus sensitive to the depth of the groove immediately underneath it. The system emerged as a marvel of mass-production research and development, able to play a two-hour movie on a twelve-inch, fifteen-dollar record on a $500 player. However, SelectaVision failed in the marketplace, since VCR's had dropped in price during its development phase, and the VideoDisc arrived on the market too late to compete. Manufacturing was abandoned in April 1984. |
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31 Mar 1981
New life form patented |
New life form patented In 1981, a new single cell genetically engineered life form patent was issued to Ananda Chakrabarty (U.S. No. 4,259,444). The Pseudomonas bacterium (now called Burkholderia cepacia) can be used to clean up toxic spills because it can break down crude oil into simpler substances that can even become food for aquatic life. This ability is possessed by no naturally occurring bacteria. A 16 Jun 1980 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case "Diamond vs. Chakrabarty" held that forms of life can be patented if they are the outcome of "human ingenuity and research" and not "nature's handiwork." The ruling, made by a majority of five to four, cleared the way for patents to be issued also on genetically-engineered mice and other animals. |
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03 Apr 1981
Osborne 1 |
Osborne 1 (computer science) The Osborne 1, the first successful portable computer, is unveiled at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco. |
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09 Apr 1981
Longest scientific name |
Longest scientific name In 1981, Nature published the longest scientific name in history. With 16,569 nucleotides, the systematic name for human mitochondrial DNA is 207,000 letters long. |
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12 Apr 1981
Space shuttle |
Space shuttle In 1981, the American Space Shuttle Columbia was launched into space, NASA flight STS-1, to become the first of a series of reusable spacecraft. The mission commander was John W. Young with pilot Robert Crippen. |
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12 Apr 1981
Space Shuttle |
Space Shuttle (space exploration) The first launch of a Space Shuttle: Columbia launches on the STS-1 mission. |
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07 Jul 1981
Solar Challenger |
Solar Challenger In 1981, the first solar-powered aircraft, Solar Challenger, crossed the English Channel. |
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07 Jul 1981
Electric aircraft |
Electric aircraft (technology) Electric aircraft Solar Challenger, designed by an American team led by Paul MacCready and piloted by Stephen Ptacek, makes a 163 mile (262 km) crossing of the English Channel using only solar power from wing-mounted photovoltaic cells. |
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09 Jul 1981
Nintendo |
Nintendo (computer science) Nintendo releases the arcade game Donkey Kong featuring the debut of Mario. |
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17 Jul 1981
Hyatt Regency walkway collapse |
Hyatt Regency walkway collapse (technology) Hyatt Regency walkway collapse: Structural failure due to a late design change causes two internal suspended walkways at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri to collapse, killing 114. |
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31 Jul 1981
Ernest Melville DuPorte |
death Ernest Melville DuPorte Ernest Melville DuPorte (b. 1891), Black Canadian insect morphologist. |
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12 Aug 1981
IBM Personal Computer |
IBM Personal Computer (computer science) The IBM Personal Computer is released. |
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01 Sep 1981
Pantanal Matogrossense National Park |
Pantanal Matogrossense National Park (biology) Pantanal Matogrossense National Park designated in Brazil. |
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12 Sep 1981
Chaos Computer Club |
Chaos Computer Club (computer science) The Chaos Computer Club, a European association of hackers, is established in Berlin by Wau Holland and others. |
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17 Nov 1981
Sibyl M. Rock |
death Sibyl M. Rock Sibyl M. Rock (b. 1909), American mathematician. |
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22 Nov 1981
Hans Krebs |
death Hans Krebs Hans Krebs (b. 1900), German medical doctor and biochemist; discoverer of the citric acid cycle. |
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06 Dec 1981
Harry Harlow |
death Harry Harlow Harry Harlow (b. 1905), American psychologist. |
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