66 years agoThe Space Age
1960-05-16
The Laser
Maiman builds the first laser at Hughes Research Laboratories.
Art style · Reconstructed 1960s laboratory apparatus illustration
World population
3.04Bpeople
1/3 of today
Primary energy power
4.7×10¹²W
1/4 of today
London → New York message
0.02 seconds
1 times faster than today
Every timeline entry cites its source. Metrics interpolate logarithmically between sourced data points. Forecasts include institutional and community views, and attributed site scenarios; years are not guaranteed realization dates. Illustrations are AI-generated in each era's style.
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