tech knowledge

June 2007: The first generation iPhone hits the U.S. market. Announced in January 2007, the original iPhone was introduced by Steve Jobs as a combination of the iPod, a revolutionary mobile phone and a breakthrough Internet communicator. It featured a 3.5” screen, a multi-touch touchscreen display, microphone, headset controls and specs that the modern smartphone user takes for granted today. At the time, the  Wall Street Journal  touted the phone as “on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer.”  Time  took it a step further, hailing the original iPhone as the Invention of the Year. July 2008: “The first phone to beat the iPhone.” A year after the original iPhone debuted, its successor hit the market in the form of the iPhone 3G. The second generation device included several new hardware features like 3G data and GPS, but perhaps most notably, introduced the world to the  App Store . Apple’s supply stage allows users to browse and dow...

Rolls-Royce has always focused on crafting durable, enduring vehicles. The commitment to superior build quality has translated into a startling fact: At least 65 percent of all Rolls-Royce cars ever to emerge from the production line are still operational and on the roads today. Henry Royce spent two decades creating all manner of mechanical and electrical inventions before deciding to focus his energy on the automobile in 1904. The English engineer was convinced he could build far finer cars than those being built on the other side of the Channel in France, and was able to persuade his fellow countryman (and aristocrat) Charles Rolls he could do so. Two years later, in 1906, the duo partnered to launch Rolls-Royce and the rest is automotive history. The British marque’s storied history is as fascinating as it is lengthy, rife with incredible moments of ingenuity, innovation and pure opulence stretching from its beginnings to the present day. Below, 21 of the most interesti...