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The RMS Queen Mary 2 is christened by Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Mary 2 is the only transatlantic ocean liner in line service between Southampton, England and New York City, New York, which operates for part of each year. The ship was designed by a team of British naval architects led by Stephen Payne and was constructed in France by Chantiers de l'Atlantique.

The principle of nicotine addiction is discovered

Dependence upon nicotin, which develops over time as a person continues to smoke. It is difficult to measure, because many mechanisms are involved. The risk for developing dependence is related to how much nicotine is in a product and how fast it can get to the user’s brain (cca 6 seconds for cigarettes).

Space craft TM-18 launches into orbit

TM-18 was a two-day solo flight that docked with the Mir space station on January 10. The crew (Viktor Afanasyev, Yury Usachov, Valeri Polyakov) did research work in space flight medicine, primarily by cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov during his long-term flight, and accomplished 25 different experiments.

American physicist John Mauchly dies

American physicist who, along with J. P. Eckert, designed ENIAC, the first general purpose electronic digital computer. Together they started the first computer company, EMCC. Mauchly died in Abington, Pennsylvania, during heart surgery following a long illness. He had 2 wifes (1st died aged 30) and 7 children.

Superfluidity is discovered

Characteristic property of a fluid with zero viscosity which therefore flows without loss of kinetic energy. When stirred, a superfluid forms cellular vortices that continue to rotate indefinitely. Superfluidity occurs in two isotopes of helium when they are liquified by cooling to cryogenic temperatures.

Spectrophotometer is patented

Device for the measurement of transmittance or reflectance of solutions, transparent or opaque solids, such as polished glass, or gases. It is used in many industries including semiconductors, laser and optical manufacturing, printing and forensic examination, and for the study of chemical substances.

Anniversaries of the (in)famous