Photo Galleries (2)
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Inventions: Computers and Internet
Inventions: Computers and Internet(9 Photos)
9 Photos
See the invention and evolution of personal computers and the internet.
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Inventions: Communication
Inventions: Communication(14 Photos)
14 Photos
Videos (6)
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From the Pencil to the Keypad
From the Pencil to the KeypadVideo Clip (4:43)
Video Clip (4:43)
WWII helped spawn one of the first electronic digital computers, but what eventually made the computer a ubiquitous device?
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Microchips and Computing
Microchips and ComputingVideo Clip (5:06)
Video Clip (5:06)
Learn about the genesis and future of computing in this clip from "Hands on History" that begins in the garage of Bill Hewlett and David Packard and ends with a look into nanotechnology.
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Transistors Transform Electronics
Transistors Transform ElectronicsVideo Clip (3:12)
Video Clip (3:12)
The tiny transistor, introduced with little fanfare in the late 1940s, triggered one of the most sweeping technological revolutions.
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Mankind Decoded Sneak Peek
Mankind Decoded Sneak PeekVideo Clip (5:03)
Video Clip (5:03)
Check out a sneak peek of the upcoming series Mankind Decoded.
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History Uncut: Bill Gates unveils Microsoft Excel 1987
History Uncut: Bill Gates unveils Microsoft Excel 1987Video Clip (1:31)
Video Clip (1:31)
History Uncut The History Channel: 1987 - A young Gates, with oversized glasses that refuse to stay in place, answers questions from the press about his dazzling new software Microsoft Excel, which "really improves the quality of your output."
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Mankind in 2 Minutes
Mankind in 2 MinutesVideo Clip (2:12)
Video Clip (2:12)
Experience the story of Mankind in 2 Minutes.
Speeches & Audio (10)
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Alexander Graham Bell's Early Recordings
Alexander Graham Bell's Early RecordingsAudio Clip (0:10)
Audio Clip (0:10)
In the early 1880s, in an effort to secure a patent of his own after Thomas Edison's invention of the phonograph, Alexander Graham Bell made a number of experimental recordings using a variety of methods. New audio technology has allowed some of Bell's earliest recordings to be played without damaging the originals. In one recently recovered recording, Bell himself recites a line from "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
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First American Woman in Space
First American Woman in SpaceAudio Clip (0:50)
Audio Clip (0:50)
Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space when the shuttle Challenger takes off on June 18, 1983. The historical moment is noted in communication just after liftoff.
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First Space Shuttle Launched
First Space Shuttle LaunchedAudio Clip (3:00)
Audio Clip (3:00)
On April 12, 1981, NASA launched the world's first reusable manned spacecraft. In the minutes before takeoff, Kennedy Space Center launch control communicates with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen as they prepare to take Columbia on its first test flight into space and back.
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Monkeys Travel to Space
Monkeys Travel to SpaceAudio Clip (2:00)
Audio Clip (2:00)
On May 28, 1959, in an experiment that would lead the way to manned space flight, the United States launched two monkeys to an altitude of 300 miles. A Voice of America news report details the travels of the two primates who survived the space flight and were the first in history to return safely to Earth.
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Viking 1 Lands on Mars
Viking 1 Lands on MarsAudio Clip (0:20)
Audio Clip (0:20)
On July 20, 1976, NASA's Viking 1 becomes the first spacecraft to send back detailed pictures from the surface of Mars. A NASA control room recording captures the excitement of the moment.
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Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster
Columbia Space Shuttle DisasterAudio Clip (0:31)
Audio Clip (0:31)
On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia was returning from its 28th mission when, 16 minutes to touchdown, the shuttle incinerated and broke apart over Texas. Communication between the Columbia crew and Mission Control captures the last moments of the flight.
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First Telephone Call Sent Around the World
First Telephone Call Sent Around the WorldAudio Clip (2:33)
Audio Clip (2:33)
On April 15, 1935, in the Long Lines Building at 32 Sixth Avenue in New York City, W.S. Gifford and T.G. Miller of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company take part in a historic phone call. While they are speaking on the phone from offices just 50 feet apart, the call is transmitted over a telephone circuit that stretches approximately 23,000 miles around the world.
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Ford Phones Apollo Astronauts
Ford Phones Apollo AstronautsAudio Clip (8:14)
Audio Clip (8:14)
On July 17, 1975, President Gerald Ford speaks by telephone to the Apollo astronauts following their rendezvous and docking with the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. This was the first joint orbital mission between the two superpowers, and it helped pave the way for further cooperation in the exploration of space.
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Voyager Spacecraft 30 Years Later
Voyager Spacecraft 30 Years LaterAudio Clip (1:12)
Audio Clip (1:12)
As the twin Voyager spacecraft prepare to embark on an extended mission to explore interstellar space in 2006, project scientist Ed Stone of California Institute of Technology recaps the major discoveries the Voyagers have made since their launch in 1977.
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George W. Bush on the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
George W. Bush on the Space Shuttle Columbia DisasterAudio Clip (3:15)
Audio Clip (3:15)
On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia was 16 minutes away from touchdown after completing its 28th mission when a damaged heat protection tile caused the shuttle to incinerate, killing all seven crew members. Later that day, President George W. Bush informs the nation about the terrible disaster.
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