Buy The Time

May 16, 1960

1960-05-16 00:00 UTC

Held by The Museum. Not for sale.

The first laser

The first laser
Photo: ESO/A. Ghizzi Panizza (www.albertoghizzipanizza.com) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Theodore Maiman gets coherent light out of a ruby rod at Hughes Research Laboratories.
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Questions and answers

When exactly did the first laser take place?
It is recorded at 1960-05-16 00:00 UTC — May 16, 1960 in Coordinated Universal Time. Every minute in this registry is stored in UTC so it reads the same anywhere in the world.
Can this minute be bought?
No. Museum minutes are curated historical entries held permanently by the registry and are never for sale. The minutes around them can be claimed.
What does owning a minute mean?
Buy The Time is a novelty registry. Nobody buys real time or property — an owner buys a permanent, public entry against one UTC minute in this database, visible to everyone.
Independent proof

Recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain

Confirmed on October 1, 2026 in block 969,500. Anyone can verify this record exists, without us.

SHA-256 bce0e7e9be7ed8db1931b980ba163a858601e99915cfa4a5e3c3cdfb917174ae

Download proofVerify at opentimestamps.orgHow verification works
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