1858

The first electrical burglar alarm is installed by inventor Edwin T. Holmes in Boston, Massachusetts. It’s popularity shot up after mass installations in New York, a city described by Holmes as a place where “all the country’s burglars made their home”.

For further reading, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_T._Holmes

1878

The first telephone book is issued in New Haven, Connecticut by the New Haven Telephone Company. It lists twenty-one names. Rendered obsolete by the advent of mobile phones, the average telephone book can now be found under uneven tables or in dusty mailboxes.

For further reading, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_directory

1893

Thomas Edison receives three US patents on this day, two of which are in essence the first light switches: “Cut Out for Incandescent Electric Lamps” (US Patent 491,992) and “Stop Device” (US Patent 491,993). Meanwhile, Nikola Tesla is reportedly unhappy about these developments.

For further reading, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison

1986

The Legend of Zelda, the first in the ongoing series, is released in Japan for Nintendo’s Famicom console. For generations to come, the protagonist would be mistakenly called Zelda. His name is Link – the princess is called Zelda. Jesus.

For further reading, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda