February 22

In 1630, popcorn was introduced to the English colonists by an Indian named Quadequina who brought it in deerskin bags as his contribution at their first Thanksgiving dinner.

In 1946, Dr Selman Abraham Waksman announced his discovery of the antibiotic streptomycin, the first specific antibiotic effective against tuberculosis. For this work, he was awarded the 1952 Nobel Prize. Dr. Waksman was born in Ukraine.

News

12.01.2012 - IBM Keeps Top Patent Spot for 19th Year as Asian Rivals Gain
International Business Machines Corp. won a record number of U.S. patents in 2011, its 19th straight year on top, as some Asian competitors advanced in the rankings at the expense of Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp.

IBM, the world’s biggest computer-services provider, gained 6,180 patents last year, researcher IFI Claims Patent Services said in a statement. Samsung Electronics Co. was second, its growth outpacing IBM, and Canon Inc. replaced Microsoft as third. Panasonic Corp. moved up to No. 4 and Toshiba Corp. advanced to fifth spot.

A patent portfolio spanning from computer memory to online shopping provides Armonk, New York-based IBM with licensing revenue and protection against intellectual-property infringement lawsuits. That means IBM is spending less time in courts than competitors, Manny Schecter, IBM’s chief patent counsel, said in an interview before the numbers were released.

“Everyone knows that if they attempt to bring their patent portfolio against us that they will be met with an equal and opposite force -- and it will be formidable,” Schecter said.

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