Today in History - January 3 | World's first flip phone is released, revolutionising the mobile phone
On January 3, 1996, the world's first flip phone was released.
This little handheld device marked the beginning of a cellphone revolution.
The Motorola StarTAC, a clamshell flip phone, was small in size, portable and weighed just under 100g.
It didn't come cheap, though.
Motorola StarTAC 1996 flip phones set customers back a cool $1000 (approx $1607), which amounts to about $2010 ($3230) now, adjusted for inflation.
The flip phone design was also inspired by the TV series Star Trek.
Motorola engineer Martin Cooper cited Captain Kirk's communicator on the series as an inspiration behind the StarTAC.
After its launch, magazine advertisements for the flip phone would include a cardboard cut-out so readers could marvel at its small size.
It had plenty of features, however the StarTAC phone could only receive SMS messages on this model, not send them.
Nostalgia for the iconic '90s phone means some people are willing to fork out hundreds of dollars for one of the original designs on eBay.
Pictured is an original Motorola StarTAC 338c Colour, for sale now on eBay for just over $300.
January 3 also marks a very important day for Alaskans in the US.
On this day in 1959, Alaska officially became the 49th US state.
Alaska was actually purchased back in 1867 from Russia, which marked a major step in America becoming a world superpower.
It was only after World War II ended that the US government considered Alaska's strategic importance, given its proximity to Russia and eastern Europe.
Alaska's statehood followed a decades-long effort from locals to make it an official state in America.
Alaska's statehood followed a ballot held in 1958, where the question was asked: "Should Alaska be immediately admitted into the union as a state?"
Later in 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state in the US.
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