Episode 760: Jingle Bells and Gigawatts

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Kreg Steppe

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On This Day in History for December 18, 2024

This is the 353rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 13 days remaining in 2024.

  • It was on this date in 1833, that the national anthem of the Russian Empire, “God Save the Tsar!” was first performed.
  • December 18, 1865, US Secretary of State William Seward proclaimed the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting slavery throughout the United States.
  • Also today in 1892, was the premiere performance of The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
  • On December 18, 1898, Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat set the first officially recognized land speed record of 63.159 km/h (39.245 mph) in a Jeantaud electric car.
  • That same date in 1958, Project SCORE, the world’s first communications satellite was launched.
  • On December 18, 1966, Saturn’s moon Epimetheus was discovered by astronomer Richard Walker.
  • Soviet Soyuz Programme: Soyuz 13, crewed by cosmonauts Valentin Lebedev and Pyotr Klimuk, was launched from Baikonur in the Soviet Union on this date in 1973.
  • Also on December 18, 1981, was the first flight of the Russian heavy strategic bomber Tu-160. It’s the world’s largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft and largest variable-sweep wing aircraft built.
  • December 18, 1999, NASA launched into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments, including ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT.
  • It was on this date in 2018, a meteor exploded over the Bering Sea with a force over 10 times greater than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.

Happy birthday goes out on this date to:

  • German explorer, Philipp von Hutten, born on this date in 1505.
  • Christopher Polhem, the Swedish physicist and inventor was born 363 years ago today.
  • English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate, J. J. Thomson, born on this date in 1856.
  • Joseph Stalin, Georgian-Russian marshal and politician,General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was born on that same date in 1878.
  • American engineer, invented FM radio, Edwin Howard Armstrong was born 134 years ago today.
  • Esther Lederberg, American microbiologist was born on that same date in 1922.
  • Also turning 90 today is Russian colonel, engineer, and cosmonaut Boris Volynov.
  • American mathematician and academic, Lenore Blum, born on this date in 1942.
  • English musician Keith Richards is 81 today.
  • Also turning 78 today is American director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded DreamWorks Steven Spielberg.
  • American actor and producer, Brad Pitt is 61 today.
  • Also born on that same date in 1975,  Australian singer-songwriter, Sia.
  • American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress, Christina Aguilera, born on this date in 1980.
  • American singer, Billie Eilish is 23 today.

Listener Birthdays

  • 20 – Phil Burchill the 9 year old I started listening to Technorama with turned 21 this year (2017)!
  • 21 – Johnne Robison Kochheiser
  • 21 – James Ballard KarakSindru
  • 22 – Bo Pace
  • 22 – Luke “Chuck’s Stalker” Smith (2000)
  • 22 – Jason Pelloni, Tampa, FL
  • 23 – Richard Green
  • 24 – MaDBooM

And that’s the way it was, on this day in history for December 18, 2024

  • If you want to get on the Technorama Birthday Calendar, visit our website and look for the Birthday Calendar link.

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Media Corner

Pass me the remote

  • Chuck
    • Star Wars: A New Hope (D+)
    • Wyatt Earp And The Cowboy War (Netflix)
  • Kreg
    • Red One (Amazon Prime)
    • Carry-On (Netflix)
    • Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Max)

Geek Library

Question of the week

  • How has technology influenced or changed Christmas traditions?

Patreon Topic this week

  • Chuck
    • More Notion/Make exploration
    • Android Notifications
    • Android Popups

End of Show Stuff

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