Five years makes an official franchise, no? Either way, what follows is a truncated-for-print version of our fifth annual collection of the year's "25 Geekiest 25th anniversaries." (Slideshow with more detail and all the pictures can be found here.)
'Hacker's Manifesto' published: Also known as "The Conscience of a Hacker," this essay about early hacker culture was penned by Loyd (The Mentor) Blankenship and first appeared Jan. 8, 1986 in the ezine Phrack.
"Bueller ... Bueller ... Bueller": Ferris Bueller doesn't get his day off from school in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" without knowing his way around a computer. In fact, he may have read Mentor's manifesto.
First PC virus spreads: The handiwork of a couple of Pakistani computer store operators, Brain was the first virus to target MS-DOS and the IBM PC.
Challenger disaster kills seven on Jan. 28, 1986: NASA officials didn't heed the warnings of their engineers.
Pixar Animation Studios opens: Steve Jobs buys and renames the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm.
Catastrophe engulfs Chernobyl: The explosions that began April 26 killed about 50 people, but that was the least of this nuclear power plant disaster.
'Captain Midnight' pwns HBO: Just after midnight on April 27, John MacDougall, a satellite TV dealer, hijacked HBO's satellite signal in order to broadcast a protest over rates.
LISTSERV debuts: The work of a young engineering student named Eric Thomas.
'Star Trek IV' released: No list of geeky anniversaries is complete without …
Rutan Voyager takes flight: The Rutan Model 76 Voyager required nine days and three minutes to become the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or taking on fuel.
Spy magazine debuts: Spy magazine lasted only 12 years, but left an enormous legacy.
IMAP delivers: The Internet Message Access Protocol was developed by Mark Crispin at Stanford.
First disposable camera tossed: Developed by Fujifilm, it was called Utsurun-Desu ("It takes pictures").
IBM ships its first laptop: Called the IBM PC Convertible, Big Blue's first laptop weighed 13 pounds.
Microsoft goes public: Shares go for $21 and Bill Gates becomes one of the world's youngest billionaires.
IETF established: The Internet Engineering Task Force was formed on Jan. 16, 1986, with Mike Corrigan, head of the Defense Data Network program, as its first chair.
Gone in a flash: That's what Eastman Kodak's instant camera business was after the company lost an appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States on a patent dispute with rival Polaroid.
Seeds of the Super Soaker: Aerospace engineer Lonnie Johnson named his first prototype the Pneumatic Water Gun, and he patented it in 1986.
E-filing begins: The IRS first allowed E-Filing as a cost-cutting measure; last year three-quarters of returns were filed electronically.
Soviets launch Mir: First launched Feb. 19, 1986, completed in 1996 and relegated to history on March 21, 2001.
'The Wizard' ruled: Starring 3-foot-11 David Rappaport as Simon McKay, "The Wizard" TV show lasted but one season.
Apple intros Macintosh Plus: An 8 MHz processor, 1 MB of RAM, and an 800k disk drive fetched $2,600.
Unisys is born: Forming the world's second largest computer company, Burroughs Corp. acquires Sperry for $4.8 billion.
'Captain EO' to the rescue: Billed as the first "4D" movie for its melding of 3D cinema and in-theater special effects.
Network World publishes first issue: What? It's our list; you expect us to leave this one out?
Miss any? The address is buzz@nww.com.