-
Windows 1 Released
Microsoft presented Windows 1.01 was the first public release of Windows. The system offered limited multitasking of MS-DOS programs. Windows 1 was released to mixed reviews. Most critics felt that the program had not met expectations. -
IBM Unveils the Convertible Computer
The Convertible was IBM's first laptop-style computer. The computer featured a power management system and the ability to run from batteries. The 3.5 inch floppy disk format was also introduced in this device. -
Black Monday
Black Monday is the stock market crash on October 19, 1987. The Dow Jones Industrial lost nearly 22% in one day. This loss triggered a global stock market decline and caused the SEC to build a number of protective measures to prevent this in the future. -
Sheff v. O'Neill
Connecticut Supreme Court case that resulted in a landmark decision regarding civil rights and the right to education. Students sued the State of Connecticut through their parents believing that their fundamental rights to an education and rights to equal protection under the law had been violated. The state had spent more money on resources for schools in white areas than the state had spent on schools with primarily black or Latino populations. -
Berlin Wall Falls
The reunification of East and West Germany occurred with the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided the city of Berlin. -
American Disabilities Act Signed into Law
ADA is the civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It provides similar protections against discrimination to Americans with Disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Walmart Goes Global
Sam's Club opens in Mexico City, pushing the Walmart corporation into the global market. -
First Web Search Engine
JumpStation is released. It is the first web resource discovery tool to combine the three essential features of web search engines, crawling, indexing, and searching. -
Intel Ships First Pentium Chips
The first Intel Pentium processor chip was shipped, starting what would become the core line for Intel and one of the best known brands of computer processors to the public. -
NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement is a treaty entered into by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. NAFTA broadened the free trade agreement between the three countries that gradually eliminated most tariffs and trade barriers on products. -
World Trade Organization Created
WTO is an intergovernmental organization that oversees trade regulations between to nations. WTO replaced the GATT and is the largest international economic organization in the world. -
AOL Institutes Flat Rate Pricing
AOL instituted flat rate pricing for access to the internet and AOL private network, changing the previous fee structure for internet access as AOL tried to meet the needs of users while satisfying investors. -
WiFi Debuts
The committee called 802.11 released wifi for consumers in 1997, allowing 2mb of data per second to transfer wirelessly between devices. This sparked the development of of prototype routers to comply with the standards created. Wifi for in home use was introduced in 1999. -
Apple Releases iMac
Apple's all-in-one desktop debuted drastically changing the Macintosh hardware. This provided the user with an out-of-the-box experience by setting up the computer in two simple steps. -
WebBraille Debuts from National Library Service
Web-Braille on the Internet is launched for blind and visually impaired library users. Web-Braille provided direct access to thousands of electronic braille files for library patrons. -
BlackBerry Debuts
The BlackBerry 850, an email pager, was released. This was the first device to integrate email, eventually becoming the first smartphone. -
9/11 and Patriot Act
After the events of 9/11, the Patriot Act was implemented to expand the abilities of law enforcement to surveil including tapping domestic and international phones, eased interagency communication to better use resources in counterterrorism efforts, and increased penalties for terrorism crimes, including expanding activities that would qualify as terrorism. -
Amazon Turns First Profit
Amazon survived the dot-com bubble burst and moved beyond the niche used book seller. The company turned it's first profit in the fourth quarter of 2001 and proved that the unconventional business model could be successful. -
Microsoft Loses AntiTrust Case
Microsoft if found in violation of US antitrust laws for maintaining an illegal monopoly in the PC market through restrictions put on the ability of PC manufacturers and users to uninstall Internet Explorer and use other web browser programs. -
No Child Left Behind
NCLB provided the reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary Education Act. NCLB also included funding for students in poverty, supported curriculum standards, and established the highly qualified teacher programs. The Act required that states develop assessments of basic skills and required these assessments be given to students for federal funding to be provided. -
Apple Releases iPod
Portable music players and multi-pupose pocket computers were used to transfer music, photos, videos, games, email, and contact information, leading the way to the smartphone revolution. The iPod was introduced by Apple to fill this niche of personal digital devices as music players were still behind the curve. -
Facebook Launched
Online social media networking service, Facebook, began as a liited membership service for students of Harvard University. Eventually, the service expanded to Columbia, Standord, and Yale before encompassing the rest of the world. Facebook is has been the subject of numerous controversies including user privacy, political manipulation, mass surveillance, and psychological effects such as addiction and low self-esteem, fake new, conspiracy theories, copyright infringement, and hate speech. -
YouTube Starts Streaming
YouTube began the rage of streaming video that eventually turns to "cutting the cord" for services such as NetFlix, Hulu, and Disney+. YouTube provided a vide sharing platform when no other such platform existed, allowing people to share videos that were not otherwise accessible online. -
Digital Talking Book Machine Released by National Library Service
Digital Talking Book Machine replaces the 4-track cassette tape machine, allowing NLS patrons to use the flashdrive type cartridge and to download their own books from the BARD website. -
Apple Releases iPhone
The iPhone connects to cellular networks or Wi-Fi, and makes calls, browse the web, take pictures, play music and send and receive emails and text messages. Since the iPhone's launch further features have been added, including larger screen sizes, shooting video, waterproofing and the ability to install third-party mobile apps through an app store, as well as accessibility support. The smartphone revolution put a personal computer, camera, music device, and phone in the palm of everyone's hand. -
Great Recession of 2008
The Great Recession in the United States has been linked to the “subprime mortgage crisis.” When housing prices fell and homeowners began to walk away from their mortgages, the value of mortgage-backed securities held by investment banks declined in 2007–2008, causing several to collapse or be bailed out in September 2008. -
BARD App Released by National Library Service
-
Cancel Culture Becomes a Phenomenon
Cancel culture or call-out culture describes a form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles – either online on social media, in the real world, or both. They are said to be "canceled". -
DocuSign Goes Public
DocuSign allows organizations to manage electronic agreements by offering a cloud based storage system and eSignature, a way to sign electronically on different devices. This system, along with other digital document services, leads to the decline in paper usage and the death of the fax machine. The company was created in 2003 and went public on the NASDAQ on April 27, 2018. -
Sears Files for Bankruptcy
American icon, Sears, files bankruptcy with $11.3 billion in liabilities as more shoppers turn to online retailers to find better deals on products. Sears put the rural general store out of business by allowing shoppers to purchase and have products shipped to their home, only to fall prey to Amazon doing the very same things. -
College Admission Scandal
Dozens of wealthy people, including actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, have been charged in the college admissions scandal. Federal prosecutors say parents paid about $25 million to get their students into elite schools like the University of Southern California, Stanford, and Yale as part of the scheme. -
Amazon Becomes Most Valuable Public Company in the World
Amazon becomes the world's most valuable company by providing shoppers with any item shipped to their door. Amazon expanded it's services to include content streaming and brick and mortar presence through Whole Foods. -
CoVid-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic loss of human life worldwide and presents an unprecedented challenge to public health, food systems and the world of work. The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating: tens of millions of people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty, while the number of undernourished people, currently estimated at nearly 690 million, could increase by up to 132 million by the end of the year.