November 18

When you have a moment, open the book of history to any random page. Then flip through its pages and you will be hard pressed to find a page where you are not brought face-to-face with a technological leap forward that forces you to sit up straight and pay attention. Examples are many; the invention of the printing press that used movable type, wireless telegraphy, mankind’s first heavier-than-air flight, the synthesis of penicillin, and man landing on the moon are only a few of the many moments of greatness humans may take pride in. To that list, you should add the often-overlooked event that took place on the 18th in 1928 when Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks released Steamboat Willie, the first animated cartoon with synchronized sound, featuring, in their second appearance as stars, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.