10 Major Developments in the History of the Personal Computer

By samadrian

  • The Difference Engine

    The Difference Engine
    This was the first device capable of computing several sets of numbers and making compies of the results. This was first invented by Charles Babbage. http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/d/diffengi.htm

  • The Analytical Engine

    The Analytical Engine
    This invention also proposed by Charles Babbage and its concept gave guidelines for the first general computer. It used an arithmetic logic unit, flow control, punch cards, and integrated memory to create the first general-purpose computer concept. http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/a/analyten.htm

  • Z1: First Programmable Computer

    Z1: First Programmable Computer
    Konrad Zuse created this in his own home and it is considered to be the first electro-mechanical binary programmable modern computer http://history-computer.com/ModernComputer/Relays/Zuse.html

  • Colossus

    Colossus
    This was the first electric programmable computer, it was created by Tommy Flowers. It was created to help the British code readers intercept German messages.

  • The Atanaoff-Berry Computer

    The Atanaoff-Berry Computer
    This was the first digital computer. Developed by professor John Atanasoff and graduate student Cliff Berry at Iowa State http://jva.cs.iastate.edu/operation.php

  • ENIAC

    ENIAC
    Invented by Eckert and Mauchly at the University of Pennsylvania. It used 18,00 vacuum tubes and weighed nearly 50 tons. I believe it was the first digital computer because it was fully functional

  • First Stored Program Computer

    First Stored Program Computer
    First used by the United States Government. It is considered to be the first computer capable of storing and running a program from memory. https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_univac1101igitalJul49_583949

  • Whirlwind Machine

    Whirlwind Machine
    Designed at MIT it is the first computer with RAM. It was a revolutionary invention that was a digital computer with magnetic-core RAM and real time graphics. http://history-computer.com/ModernComputer/Electronic/Whirlwind.html

  • The First Personal Computer

    The First Personal Computer
    Ed Roberts created the Altair 8800, or the first PC. http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/a/altair.htm

  • The First IBM PC

    The First IBM PC
    It has been nicknamed Acorn and used an 8088 processor, 18kb memory, and was expandable to 256. http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000984.htm