Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) Vehicle Identification Numbers are unique codes given to each on-road vehicle in the United States. From 1981, each new car is given a standardized 17-digit code, which includes a serial number. Older cars may have VINs too, although they will not follow the standardized formula.
The vacuum tube (known as a 'valve' in the UK) is an interesting component that made many important technologies possible and it is still used in many things. There are many kinds of vacuum tubes for different jobs. Most types of vacuum tubes have been replaced by semiconductor devices, however vacuum tubes will occupy an important role in the future in the field of nanotechnology. All 'tubes' basically consist of an anode and cathode in a gas or vacuum environment.
The first computer mouse. The first computer mouse was invented in 1963 by Douglas Engelbart at the Stanford Research Institute. (He is also one of the inventors of hypertext.) The first mouse used two wheels positioned at a 90-degree angle to each other to keep track of the movement (see picture below).he IBM Personal Computer was introduced in 1981 as the IBM 5150. The platform became so pervasive in the 80s that although the term âpersonal computerâ had been in use since the early 70s, a PC became synonymous with an IBM PC-compatible computer.