Dive into Tech Trivia 101

From historical milestones to today’s online giants, there’s no shortage of fascinating trivia about Web technology. Check out these fun facts.

First cell phone

The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X was the first cell phone sold in the United States. It was released on April 11, 1984 with a $4000 price tag. Nicknamed “The Brick,” the boxy phone weighed two pounds. It was designed by Rudy Krolopp.

Android’s namesake

The Android operating system wasn’t actually made by Google. It was developed in 2003 by Android, Inc., a company co-founded by Andy Rubin. His fascination with robots compelled his colleagues to call him “Android,” and inspired the name of the company and the smartphone operating system.

The first hackers

Computer hacking came about in the late 1950s. The first hackers were members of MIT’s Tech Model Railroad Club. Obsessed with electric switching, they created punch cards to control an IBM 704 mainframe.

Apple’s birthday

Apple was established on April Fools’ Day in 1976.

Google’s power

Google uses an estimated 15 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. That’s more than most countries. However, Google uses solar panels to generate a lot of its energy.

Online marketplace giant, eBay

EBay was founded in 1995. Each month, eBay users sell more than one billion dollars worth of merchandise.

Web jargon

The word “Internet” has spawned several new terms. A netizen is a citizen of the Internet. There’s also a term for online manners: netiquette.

Care to share?

Of course, there’s so much more tech trivia to explore. Do you have a favorite factoid about Internet history or online players and gadgets? Let us know!

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