2015 Event Commercial space company SpaceX has been approved as a contractor to the U.S. military for satellite launches; SpaceX will compete for contracts against the Boeing-Lockheed Martin United Launch Alliance, currently the primary military launch provider 2015 Event Amazon is again exempted from Federal Aviation Administration commercial drone flight prohibitions, allowing it to test delivery drones; the company had to reapply for exemption, as its drone fleet grew outdated while waiting for initial approval 2015 Event Astronauts at the International Space Station complete a tricky cable installation project to prepare for addition of docking ports; the ports will be able to receive manned commercial space capsules such as those launched by SpaceX and Boeing 2015 Event The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is planning rules for commercial drones that will limit flights to uncrowded areas within the operator's line of sight, meaning that uses such as package delivery or long-range news reporting are off limits 2015 Event Commercial space company SpaceX successfully launches its Falcon 9 rocket, which has released the Dragon cargo ship into orbit to the International Space Station; the rocket returned to Earth after releasing the Dragon but had a rough landing 2014 Event CEO Richard Branson says that Virgin Galactic will first determine the cause of a recent test space flight crash before deciding whether to continue developing commercial space travel 2014 Event By court order, student athletes can now profit from commercial use of their names and images; NCAA had previously retained all revenues from such deals, but students will now have profits placed in trust funds to be received upon leaving school 2014 Event Space station astronauts received an Easter Day delivery in the form of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spaceship filled with food, supplies, equipment and care packages; the space station delivery was the fourth for the commercial space technology company 2014 Event The International Court of Justice at the U.N. agrees that Japanese whaling is conducted for commercial purposes, not scientific research; Japan accepts the order to cease all whaling activities in the Antarctic 2012 Event The first commercial spacecraft, SpaceX Dragon, docks with the International Space Station when it completes docking at 12:02pm EDT 2011 Event In Mexico, Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson opens the world's first commercial spaceport, Spaceport America, with flights expected to being by 2013 2010 Event China leads an investigation into its commercial pilots upon learning over 200 of them falsified their resumes 2003 Event The Concorde made its last commercial flight, landing at Heathrow Airport, London 2002 Death Dave Thomas, commercial icon/businessman, founded Wendy's, dies at 69 2001 Event 19 Islamist terrorists hijack four commercial jets, killing nearly 3,000 in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania 1990 Event Boeing 767 sets nonstop commercial flight, Seattle to Narobi Kenya 1989 Event 1st U.S. private commercial rocket makes suborbital test flight (NM) 1989 Event Madonna's "Like a Prayer" premieres on worldwide Pepsi commercial 1989 Event 1st Spanish commercial on network TV (Pepsi-Cola-CBS Grammy Award) 1989 Event Russian newspaper Izvestia gets its 1st commercial advertisement 1987 Event 1st condom commercial on BBC TV 1987 Death Clara Peller, commercial spokesperson (Wendy's), dies at 86 1984 Event Michael Jackson is burned during filming for Pepsi commercial 1982 Event Conestoga 1, 1st private commercial rocket, makes suborbital flight 1981 Event Boeing commercial Chinook 2-rotor helicopter is certified 1981 Event Greatest passenger load on a commercial airliner-610 on Boeing 747 1976 Event 1st commercial SST flight to North America (Concorde to Washington D.C.) 1976 Event Supersonic Concorde, 1st commercial flights, by Britain and France 1973 Event Canadian ANIK A2 becomes 1st commercial satellite in orbit 1970 Event 1st commercial Boeing 747 flight, New York to London in 6 hours 1970 Event World's largest airplane, Boeing 747, makes 1st commercial flight 1969 Event 1st commercial ad on English TV: Birds-Eye Peas on ATV (Midland) 1968 Event Commercial air travel begins between U.S. and U.S.S.R. 1965 Event Early Bird satellite goes into commercial service 1963 Event Dutch 2nd Chamber condemns commercial TV 1961 Event Beginning of a trend, a U.S. commercial plane is hijacked to Cuba 1960 Event 1st commercial oral contraceptive, Enovid 10 debuts in Skokie, Illinois 1958 Birthday Bill Timoney, TV commercial actor, Addicted to Love 1957 Event 1st commercial coal pipeline placed in operation 1956 Birthday David Copperfield, born in Metuchen, New Jersey, illusionist, history's most successful commercial magician, sold over 40 million tickets, grossed over $1 billion 1956 Event Ampex Corp demonstrates 1st commercial videotape recorder 1955 Event Commercial TV begins in England 1954 Event 1st regularly scheduled commercial flights over North Pole begins 1951 Event 1st commercial computer, UNIVAC 1, enters service at Census Bureau 1950 Event James Dean begins his career with an appearance in a Pepsi commercial 1947 Event Radar for commercial and private planes 1st demonstrated 1947 Event 1st commercial TV station west of Mississippi opens, Hollywood CA 1946 Event SW Bell inaugurates mobile telephone commercial service, St. Louis 1946 Event 1st helicopter licensed for commercial use (New York City) 1944 Event Carl Wick publishes "Salmon Trolling for Commercial and Sport Fishing 1942 Event U.S. auto factories switch from commercial to war production 1941 Event Bulova Watch Co pays $9 for 1st ever network TV commercial 1941 Event 1st U.S. commercial FM radio station goes on the air, Nashville, Tennessee 1941 Event 1st commercial extraction of magnesium from seawater, Freeport, TX 1939 Event 1st commercial manufacture of nylon yarn, Seaford, Delaware 1939 Event Dixie Clipper completes 1st commercial plane flight to Europe 1939 Event All commercial ferry service to East Bay ends 1938 Event Du Pont begins commercial production of nylon toothbrush bristles 1937 Event 1st commercial flight across Pacific, Pan Am 1936 Event 1st commercial flight from mainland to Hawaii 1936 Event H. R. Ekins of "NY World-Telegram" beats 2 other reporters in a race around the world on commercial flights, by 18 days 1935 Event 1st commercial crossing of Pacific by plane (China Clipper) 1934 Event TWA began commercial service 1931 Event Commercial teletype service begins (AT&T) 1927 Event 1st commercial airplane flight in Hawaii 1927 Event 1st armored commercial car hold-up in U.S., Pittsburgh 1927 Event Commercial transatlantic telephone service inaugurated between New York and London 1922 Event 1st electric power line commercial carrier in U.S., Utica, New York 1920 Event KDKA (Pittsburgh) goes on air as 1st commercial radio station 1920 Event 1st commercial armored car introduced in St. Paul Minn 1895 Birthday Auguste Lumiere, twin brothers who opened 1st commercial cinema 1895 Birthday Louis Lumiere, twin brothers who opened 1st commercial cinema 1895 Event 1st commercial movie performance (153 Broadway, New York City) 1892 Event 1st commercial long-distance phone line opens (Chicago-NY) 1888 Event East Africa Company political and commercial rights 1886 Event 1st New York Tribune printing using 1st commercial linotype machine 1886 Event 1st AC power plant in U.S. begins commercial operation, Massachusetts 1885 Event Eastman Film Co. manufactures 1st commercial motion picture film 1883 Event 1st commercial electric railway line begins operation in Chicago 1880 Event 1st commercial hydroelectric power planet begins, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1858 Event 1st commercial treaty between U.S. and Japan signed 1848 Event 1st commercial bank in San Francisco established 1833 Event U.S. and Siam sign commercial treaty 1827 Event 1st commercial railroad in U.S., Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) chartered 1819 Birthday Joseph C Juglar, French physician/economist, Crises Commercial 1815 Event World's 1st commercial cheese factory established, in Switzerland 1812 Event 1st newspaper on Curaeao (Curaeao Gazette and Commercial Advertiser) 1782 Event 1st U.S. commercial bank, Bank of North America, opens in Philadelphia 1675 Event 1st American commercial corporation chartered (New York Fishing Co) 1656 Event Oldest surviving commercial newspaper begins (Haarlem, Netherlands) 1629 Event 1st commercial fishery established 1496 Event England's Henry VII ends commercial dispute with Flanders
