January 3

 Mars lander

                              In 1999, the U.S. Mars Polar Lander was launched.

  Oklahoma meteorite

                               In 1970, a fireball was visible over a large area of the U.S. midwest. The meteorite that fell was the first to be detected by the Prairie Network operated by the Smithsonian Institution's Astrophysical Observatory since 1964. Its path was photographed by two of the system's 16 cameras funded by a NASA grant. Using these records, scientists calculated the meteorite's impact point. Gunther Schwartz, field manager of the network found the 21.6-lb meteorite six days later within a half-mile of the predicted site, near the rural hamlet Lost City, about 45 miles east of Tulsa, OK. The fast retrieval enabled examination of radioactivity produced by the meteorite's exposure to cosmic rays, looking for clues to how the universe was created. 

  Electric watch

                                    In 1957, the world's first electric watch was introduced in Lancaster, PA by the Hamilton Watch Company. Research began in 1946, but it was to take more than ten years to develop a viable watch. On this day, Hamilton held a press conference. The idea of a watch which never needed winding was very exciting to 1950's consumers, who were captivated by progress and modernity. The Hamilton Electric was an instant hit. Its popularity was enhanced by a number of very dramatic case styles with non-traditional asymmetrical styling; they were visual reminders of the ultra-modern movements inside the case. By 1969, when production ended, more advanced technology had already rendered the Hamilton Electric obsolete.

  Artificial transmutation of elements

                                        In 1919, Professor Ernest Rutherford succeeded in splitting the atom. By bombarding nitrogen atoms with alpha particles emitted by radioactive materials he transmuted the nitrogen atoms into oxygen

  Wind Cave National Park

                                          In 1901, a bill creating Wind Cave National Park was signed by President Theodore Roosevelt. It lies 10 miles (16-km) north of Hot Springs, South Dakota, the eighth U.S. National Park to be created and the first protecting a cave. (Mammoth Cave in Kentucky was authorized as a national park in 1926.) For centuries, Indians knew the entrance to Wind Cave, and its strong air movements in or out. The first person reported to explore the cave was Charlie Crary in fall of 1881. It was first systematically explored by Alvin McDonald from 1890 until his death, at age 20, from typhoid fever in 1893. He had been hired for the job by the South Dakota Mining Company. No minerals were found to mine, but the company may have been interested in developing tours. The cave is noted for its rare cave formations known as boxwork, a honeycomb of thin blades of calcite projecting from veins in the walls and ceilings.

  Wax drinking straw

                                     In 1888, the first wax drinking straw and the spiral winding tube-making process was patented by Marvin C. Stone in Washington, DC. Stone was already a manufacturer of paper cigarette holders. His idea was to make paper drinking straws to replace the use of natural rye grass straws. Stone made his prototype straw by winding strips of paper around a pencil and gluing it together. He then tried paraffin-coated manila paper, so the straws would not become soggy while someone was drinking. The first straws were hand rolled, and by 1890 his factory was producing more straws than cigarette holders.By 1905, he had also invented a machine to roll his straws, necessary to keep up with the growing demand, and new applications of spiral-wound tubing.

  First U.S. professional meteorologist

                                          In 1871, Cleveland Abbe became the chief scientist of the newly formed U.S. weather service. From 1 Sep 1869, he had been preparing weather forecasts from his own private weather reporting service at Cincinnati, Ohio, based on telegraphic reports. The U.S. Congress authorized its new federal weather service, as part of the Signal Corps, on 9 Feb 1870. Cleveland Abbe's experience made him a natural choice to be offered a leading position, which from then became his lifetime career. Abbe not only developed an extensive observing system for which he trained new personnel, but also established a scientific foundation for the meteorological study of forecasting, climatology and physical theory. The service was renamed as the Weather Bureau when moved to the Department of Agriculture (1891).

  Margarine patented

                                      In 1871, oleomargarine was patented by Henry Bradley in Binghamton, NY. A "compound for culinary use" called margarine. U.S. Patent No. 110,626.