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William Gilbert first coined the word electricity.
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Ben Franklin tied a key to a kite during a storm and proved that static electricity and lightning were the same.
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Joseph Henry invented the electrical relay, which could send electrical currents long distances.
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Samuel Morse invented the electric telegraph, a machine that could send messages long distances across wires.
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William Stanley Jr. developed the induction coil transformer and an alternating current electric system.
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Willis H. Carrier designed the first system to control temperature and humidity.
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Philo Farnsworth demonstrates the first television for potential investors by broadcasting the image of a dollar sign
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John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry of Iowa State College complete the prototype of the first digital computer. It can store data and perform addition and subtractions using binary code.
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For the first time, NASA successfully launches and lands its reusable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle.
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In January "Time" names its 1982 "man" of the year -- the personal computer. PC's have taken the world by storm, dramatically changing the way people communicate.
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The space shuttle Discovery deploys the Hubble Space telescope 350 miles above the Earth.
