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The term "Virtual Reality" is Coined, First Headsets Sold Commercially.
The original LEEP system was redesigned for NASA's Ames Research Center in 1985 for their first virtual reality installation, the VIEW (Virtual Interactive Environment Workstation) by Scott Fisher. The LEEP system provides the basis for most of the modern virtual reality headsets that allow users to visit places virtually, this lowering travel expenses. -
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LS-724-D. Howard: Workplace Timeline
Timeline of events that have shaped the inner workings and objectives of the workplace. -
Launch of Windows by Microsoft
In short, the creation of Microsoft Windows was nothing short of a global change event. Previously expensive bulky and labor-intensive computer processing units were now available in a manageable size with user-friendly technology to suit all business and learning needs. From its humble beginnings, the Windows platform is now the driving force behind 90% of the world's computing community. -
The Americans With Disabilities Act is Signed into Law
With the advent of the Americans with Disabilities Act, people with debilitating diseases or physical handicaps could no longer be terminated from employment due to their disability or affliction. The law also included protections against harassment, and the legal requirement to include adaptive technology and structures, such as wheelchair ramps, and designated bathroom stalls in the workplace. -
The Clarence Thomas - Anita Hill Hearings
The much-pubicized hearings held for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on the charges of sexual harassment brought international attention to the often unreported misconduct and set new boundaries and definitions of workplace harassment. It also resulted in an unprecedented number of male and female victims to share their experiences, which was a precursor for the current "Me Too Movement.: -
Magic Johnson's HIV Announcement
Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson's announcement that he was HIV-Positive brought unprecedented attention and focus to the disease that was mostly thought of as a "gay" or "drug users" disease. This lead to a marked uptick in testing and screening for all businesses, sports teams, military branches, and medicine. It also enabled schools to teach prevention by making the subject less taboo. -
Casual Fridays
Rick Miller of Dockers pants fame, sent an eight-page “Guide To Casual Business Wear” to approximately 25,000 human resource managers around the country to distribute to their employees. This popularization of the polo shirt and the khaki pants and redefined what is acceptable attire in the workplace, which resulted in deeper research on the effects of relaxed environments on workplace productivity. -
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is Enacted Into Law
After the repeal became official on September 20, 2011, that the Pentagon added sexual orientation to the Military Equal Opportunity policy for the first time, meaning gay servicepersons would be protected from discrimination. This would eventually lead to the global refocus on the LGBTQ community's fight against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. -
Amazon Shopping is Launched
This global giant has and will continue to shape how we purchase goods and services and has had a direct and profound impact on the retail industry. With innovative order and delivery schemes and with an incentive-based employee training plan, Amazon has become the pinnacle of the global retail market and has changed the way the world shops forever. -
Google is Launched
Much like Windows and Amazon, Google has changed how information is shared in a way that has never been seen before. Every form of human endeavor is in some way influenced by Google's global reach. Information that once took days to obtain can be now garnered within seconds. Google has revolutionized how we think, play, learn, and live, and how we see our world. -
Launch of Cellular Phone Cameras
The concept of personal privacy was an unforeseen by-product of the cell phone camera. While our cameras have changed how we socially interact, record life events and how we communicate, it has also developed into a tool that has been used with malicious and salacious intent, such as cyberbullying and sexting. Now admissible in court, our "Pocket PI's" have become both an asset and a liability in regard to how we live and work. -
The Columbine High School Shooting
The tragedy that was the Columbine High School shooting and the mass shootings that followed that has forever changed how schools, and ultimately all workplaces would implement safety and security drills forever. Mandatory measures such as metal detector screenings and active drills are now well-established norms in every workplace, -
The September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks
When the Continental United States for the first time on that fateful day, our lives as Americans, and how we are perceived in the world changed for all time. Since that time, we have now engaged safety protocols in every hamlet in our country in preparation for acts of terror that were once foreign to our consciousness. The attacks also resulted in our nation's deeper involvement in the Middle East, which has changed how we view and fund military and defense spending. -
Skype is Launched
Skype introduces 25-person video call with free download and Internet access. This is the first time that multiple parties in varied locations can conference without connection fees and with basic internet access, thus making video conferencing available to small and home-based businesses and organizations. -
Facebook Debuts
According to founder Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is now used by a staggering one billion people. In the past decade and a half, the social network has transformed people's relationships, privacy, businesses, news outlets, and media, and affected global communication methods such as telephone and postal service. Facebook has also given a free global platform for people to espouse their causes, voice their beliefs, or share their worlds. -
Apple Launches the IPhone
The iPhone revolutionized how we communicate and has placed the power of computing into the hands of everyone In just a year after its launch, the iPhone introduced the word "app" into the global lexicon and debuted the idea of software that installs itself with the press of a button and appears as a simple icon. It changed not just how we talk about software but how we consume and use it. -
The Stock Market Crash of 2008
The failure of some of the biggest banks due to subprime lending, sketchy derivatives, foreclosures, corporate greed, and assumed debts created a panic which led to the near-collapse of our financial system. The need for stringent bank regulations was brought into the spotlight and brought a new focus on income inequality. -
Barack Obama is Elected President of the United States of America
In addition to his efforts to provide universal health care, legalize same-sex marriage, enact more stringent bank regulations and create net neutrality, President Obama's election has had an oversized impact on US elections, as there are many more minority and women candidates who are now willing to throw their hats into the ring, even when going after votes in a predominantly non-diverse district. -
The COVID-19 Pandemic Begins in Wuhan, China
The Covid 19 virus has changed how we learn as we now move to a new paradigm, virtual learning, and commerce. New technology and software ins in development to enhance the remote work and learning experience. This also will change the way the workplace in structured and will have a direct impact on day to day operational costs
