Timeline for In what context did the noun 'countdown' first emerge, and when did the word first appear in print?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
4 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Dec 12, 2014 at 1:59 | comment | added | Barmar | @FumbleFingers It's probably due to the influence of the space program. People became familiar with rocket launch countdowns, and extended it to other contexts, like the countdown before midnight on New Year's Eve. | |
| Dec 12, 2014 at 1:23 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | @Sven: Ah well. It's interesting to see that counting down the days didn't take off until the late 70s - but is now "common as muck", so to speak. In Victorian times they'd count off the days [until some awaited date/event] | |
| Dec 12, 2014 at 0:01 | comment | added | Sven Yargs | Unfortunately How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head (one of the titles cited in the excerpt from Kirkus Service in your link) has a copyright date of 1971, so I suspect that Google Books has once again provided the wrong date. Also, the "Our History" page at Kirkus dates the name "Kirkus Service" to 1967. Google Books sometimes drives me crazy. | |
| Dec 11, 2014 at 23:31 | history | answered | FumbleFingers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |