A Brief History of Computers for the past Century
A timeline showing the history of computers, from the earliest computing devices to the most advanced computers of today
1939-10-09 00:00:00
The Atanasoff-Berry Computer
J.V. Atanasoff and his graduate student, Clifford Berry, design a computer that can solve 29 equations simultaneously. The first time a computer is able to store information on its main memory
1944-08-07 12:47:46
Harvard Mark 1
The IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC), called Mark I by Harvard University's staff, was a general purpose electro-mechanical computer that was used in the war effort during the last part of World War II.
1946-02-14 18:22:43
EINAC is publicly announced
The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC). Considered the grandfather of digital computers, was publicly revealed in the University of Pennyslvania
1947-11-17 21:55:40
Creation of the Transistor
Though not a computer, the invention of the Transistor paved the way for advancements in technology
1951-03-31 16:50:28
UNIVAC
The Universal Automatic Computer or UNIVAC was a computer milestone achieved by Dr. Presper Eckert and Dr. John Mauchly, the team that invented the ENIAC computer.
1952-04-29 22:58:49
IBM's 701
The IBM 701, known as the Defense Calculator was the first commercially successful general-purpose computer.
1954-07-10 05:02:35
FORTRAN
FORTRAN or formula translation was the first high level programming language ( software ) invented by John Backus for IBM in 1954, and released commercially in 1957.
1958-09-12 00:00:00
Integrated Circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small plate ("chip") of semiconductor material, normally silicon. This can be made much smaller than a discrete circuit made from independent components. ICs can be made very compact, having up to several billion transistors and other electronic components in an area the size of a fingernail.
1962-02-12 00:00:00
First Computer Game
The very first computer game, created by Steve "Slug" Russell, Martin "Shag" Graetz, and Wayne Wiitanen.
1964-07-12 00:00:00
Computer Mouse + GUI
Douglas Engelbart shows a prototype of the modern computer, with a mouse and a graphical user interface (GUI). This marks the evolution of the computer from a specialized machine for scientists and mathematicians to technology that is more accessible to the general public.
1969-04-09 00:00:00
APRAnet
The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) was one of the world's first operational packet switching networks, was the precursor the the Internet
1970-10-13 00:00:00
Intel 1103
The newly formed Intel company publicly released the 1103, the first DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) chip which is widely regarded as the chip that killed magnetic-core memory.
1971-03-21 00:00:00
Intel 4004
The first microprocessor invented by Intel engineers Federico Faggin, Ted Hoff, and Stanley Mazor.
1971-09-18 00:00:00
Floppy Disk
IBM introduced the first "memory disk", created by Alan Shugart
1973-03-01 00:00:00
Xerox Alto
The Xerox Alto, designed by Chuck Thacker was one of the first personal computers , a general purpose computer designed for individual use.
1973-11-27 00:00:00
Ethernet
Robert Metcalfe, a member of the research staff for Xerox, develops Ethernet for connecting multiple computers and other hardware.
1974-07-19 00:00:00
SCELBI 8H
Created by Nat Wadsworth and Bob Findley, the 8H was based on the Intel 8008 microprocessor.
1974-12-21 00:00:00
Altair 8800
The MITS Altair 8800, based on the Intel 8080 CPU, was an easy-to-customize personal computer, and also served as the flagship to Microsoft's first product, the Altair BASIC.
1975-09-16 00:00:00
IBM 5100
The IBM 5100 becomes the first commercially available portable computer.
1976-04-11 00:00:00
Apple 1
Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs create the first single-circuit board computer, and also Apple's first product.
1977-06-10 00:00:00
Apple ||
Jobs and Wozniak unveil the successor to the Apple 1, the well acclaimed Apple ||
1977-08-03 00:00:00
TRS-80
The Tandy Radio Shack or TRS-80 was the first mass produced personal computers and is considered to be one of the most iconic computers.
1977-10-28 00:00:00
Commodore PET
Personal Computers developed around the MOS 6502 microprocessor.
1981-08-12 00:00:00
IBM Personal Computer
IBM introduced its PC, igniting a fast growth of the personal computer market. The first PC ran on a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 microprocessor and used Microsoft´s MS-DOS operating system.
1981-08-12 00:00:00
MS-DOS
Created to accompany the IBM's Personal Computers, Microsoft launches it's first Operating System.
1982-07-21 00:00:00
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, one of the most recognized computer systems, and the single most sold computer unit, is unveiled to the public.
1983-01-13 00:00:00
Apple Lisa
Apple’s Lisa is the first personal computer with a GUI. It also features a drop-down menu and icons.
1984-02-03 00:00:00
Apple Macintosh
The successor to Apple's Lisa, the Macintosh uses a similar GUI system, and used many similar functions, albeit a lower cost.
1985-03-25 00:00:00
First dot com domain
The first registered domain, used by Symbolics Computer Company, was Symbolics.com.
1985-11-20 00:00:00
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft's Windows was released in response to Apple's acclaimed Macintosh. It was not a critical success, although it started Microsoft on developing today's most used Operating System.
1987-04-13 00:00:00
IBM PS/2
IBM's Personal System 2 is officially unveiled, making the 3 1/2-inch floppy disk drive and video graphics array standard for IBM computers, and also featuring computer mice to IBM's computers.
1993-04-04 00:00:00
Pentium Microprocessor
The Intel Pentium Microprocessor, dubbed P5, was released, significantly increasing the quality of graphics and sound quality of computers.
1993-08-01 00:00:00
HTML
Tim Berners-Lee develops the HyperText Markup Language, giving rise to the use of the worldwide web.
1994-01-01 00:00:00
Gaming Wave
The increase in computer graphics quality give rise to an increased use in computer as gaming consoles.
1999-01-01 00:00:00
Wi-Fi
Wireless Fidelity, or Wi-Fi, became a household term. In 1999, the Wi-Fi Alliance formed as a trade association to hold the Wi-Fi trademark under which most products are sold.