How many technology facts are there?

100, each with a named source and a link to it. Computing, engineering, transport and the internet.

Where do these facts come from?

Mostly primary sources: NASA, the ESA, museums, universities and peer-reviewed papers. A fact is only published here once a source can be linked, and the wording is written fresh rather than copied.

Can I read them in one sitting?

The page lists the newest first and the search box narrows by word. Every fact links onward to a quiz, game or calculator on the same subject, so it works as a browse or as a jumping-off point.

Mondo Knows Facts

100 Technology Facts, Each One Checked and Sourced

Computing, engineering, transport and the internet.

100 facts on this shelf, each with a named source and a link onward to something to play or use on the same theme.

100 facts in Technology

TechnologyThe first website went live in 1991Tim Berners-Lee published the world's first web page at CERN to explain the World Wide Web projectCERN TechnologyThe first ARPANET message was intended to say LOGINIn 1969 the first message sent over ARPANET crashed after transmitting only the letters L and OComputer History Museum TechnologyENIAC was the first general-purpose electronic computerCompleted in 1945, ENIAC used thousands of vacuum tubes to calculate artillery firing tablesComputer History Museum TechnologyThe first computer mouse was made of woodDouglas Engelbart invented the computer mouse in 1964 using a wooden shell and internal metal wheelsComputer History Museum TechnologyThe point-contact transistor was invented at Bell Labs in 1947John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley created the semiconductor switch that revolutionized electronicsIEEE History Center TechnologyThe Apollo Guidance Computer was an early user of silicon microchipsNASA purchased hundreds of thousands of integrated circuits in the 1960s to build the moon landing navigation systemNASA History TechnologyThe Intel 4004 was the world's first commercial single-chip microprocessorReleased in 1971, the 4-bit processor contained 2,300 transistors on a single piece of siliconIntel Corporation TechnologyThe first commercial hard disk stored five megabytes of dataThe IBM 350 disk storage unit used fifty magnetic platters each measuring twenty inches acrossIBM Archives TechnologyGrace Hopper created the first compiler for a programming languageIn 1952 Grace Hopper developed A-0 to translate human-readable code into computer machine instructionsNavy History and Heritage Command TechnologyThe term computer bug was popularized by a real mothEngineers found a moth trapped in a relay of the Harvard Mark II computer in 1947Smithsonian Institution TechnologyThe QWERTY keyboard layout was created to prevent mechanical typewriter jamsChristopher Latham Sholes arranged keys in 1873 to separate frequently used letter combinationsSmithsonian Magazine TechnologyThe first mobile phone call was placed in New York City in 1973Motorola engineer Martin Cooper called his rival at Bell Labs using a portable prototype phoneIEEE Spectrum TechnologyThe first SMS text message sent in 1992 wished Merry ChristmasEngineer Neil Papworth sent the text message from a personal computer to an Orbitel mobile phoneVodafone Group TechnologyUnix time counts the seconds elapsed since 1 January 1970Computers use the Unix epoch as a standardized reference point for tracking system timeIETF RFC 3339 TechnologyEthernet was invented at Xerox PARC in 1973Robert Metcalfe designed the wired networking system inspired by the Hawaiian ALOHANET radio systemIEEE History Center TechnologyBluetooth technology was named after a 10th-century Danish kingEngineers chose King Harald Bluetooth's name to symbolize unifying communication protocolsBluetooth SIG TechnologyThe Domain Name System DNS was created in 1983Paul Mockapetris designed DNS to replace a central text file containing every host address on the internetIETF RFC 882 TechnologyGPS relies on a constellation of at least twenty-four active satellitesThe Global Positioning System calculates positions using atomic clock signals from medium Earth orbitGPS.gov TechnologyThe de Havilland Comet was the world's first commercial jet airlinerEntering service in 1952, the British Comet introduced jet-powered commercial passenger travelScience Museum Group TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieved the first powered aeroplane flight in 1903Orville Wright flew the Wright Flyer for twelve seconds over Kitty Hawk North CarolinaSmithsonian National Air and Space Museum TechnologyThe flight data recorder was invented by Australian scientist David WarrenDavid Warren designed the cockpit voice and flight recorder prototype in 1953 after investigating plane crashesAustralian Defence Science and Technology Group TechnologyRadar technology was developed during the 1930s for air defenceEngineers used radio pulse reflections to detect distant aircraft and ships through clouds and darkImperial War Museums TechnologyJapan launched the world's first high-speed bullet train line in 1964The Tokaido Shinkansen connected Tokyo and Osaka at speeds exceeding two hundred kilometres per hourRailway Museum Japan TechnologyStandardised shipping containers transformed global maritime tradeMalcolm McLean patented the steel intermodal shipping container system in 1956Smithsonian Institution

All 100 Technology facts

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Turn these facts into a quiz: Technology trivia questions, with an explanation after every answer.

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How many technology facts are there?: 100, each with a named source and a link to it. Computing, engineering, transport and the internet.
Where do these facts come from?: Mostly primary sources: NASA, the ESA, museums, universities and peer-reviewed papers. A fact is only published here once a source can be linked, and the wording is written fresh rather than copied.
Can I read them in one sitting?: The page lists the newest first and the search box narrows by word. Every fact links onward to a quiz, game or calculator on the same subject, so it works as a browse or as a jumping-off point.