June 1

1796: French physicist Sadi Carnot, who investigated the efficiencies of steam engines and whom the Carnot Cycle is named after, was born. 1813:  "Don't Give Up the Ship," the U.S. Navy's motto, was uttered by Capt. James Lawrence. 1849: Twin brothers Francis Stanley and Freelan Stanley, famous for their Stanley Steamer automobile, were born. 1869: Thomas Edison received his first patent, for an "electrographic vote recorder" - noteworthy for its lack of hanging chads. 1907: Sir Frank Whittle, aircraft jet propulsions pioneer, was born. 1938: Superman, the world's first super hero, appeared in the first issue of Action Comics. 1961: Radio listeners in New York, California, and Illinois were introduced to FM multiplex stereo broadcasting (a year later the FCC made this a standard). 1965: Penzias and Wilson of Bell Labs determined that the 3°K persistent background "noise" being detected on their antenna was actually primordial cosmic background radiation of The Big Bang. 1992: The E-Lamp, an electronic electrodeless 20-year light bulb that is illuminated when radio waves excite a phosphor coating, was introduced. 1999: Sir Christopher Cockerell, inventor of the hovercraft, died. 2002: The Czech Republic became the first nation to outlaw excess outdoor "light pollution" (good for astronomers).