1880

30 engineers from eight states meet in the New York editorial offices of the American Machinist to create the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a society that promotes the art, science & practice of multidisciplinary engineering around the globe.

For further reading,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASME

1968 

The first-ever 911 call is placed by Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite from Haleyville City Hall to US Rep. Tom Bevill at the city’s police station. The three numbers have become quite important in American history, and not just because they’re dialed 240 million times a year.

For further reading,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9-1-1

1978 

The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois). BBS systems were where a lot of us were first introduced to the concept of e-mail, years before the Internet went mainstream. OK, maybe not “a lot” of us. Just the geeky ones. In the time before computers were cool. Computers are cool now, aren’t they?

For further reading,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBBS

1984 

IBM introduces the IBM Portable Personal Computer, an early portable computer. It featured a 4.77MHz Intel 8088 processor, 256KB RAM, a 9 inch amber monitor, a 5.25″ floppy drive, and the DOS 2.1 operating system. It weighed 30 pounds and cost $2,795. Try setting that on your lap.

For further reading,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Portable_Personal_Computer