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First Computer Programmer
Ada Love lace created a method of calculating a squence of Bernoulli Numbers for the Difference Engine. The code would have worked had the Engine been built by Charles Babbage. -
Model K
The Model K was created by George Stibitz using scrap relays from Bell Labs. This device provided proof of concept for using Boolean Logic to computer designs. -
Complex Number Calculator
George Stibitz creates this calculator and shows it in the American Mathematical Society conference. He stunned the audience by performing calculations remotely from New York. This may have been one of the earliest forms of remote access computing. -
Hewlett-Packard (HP) Formed
Their first product was the HP 200A Audio Oscillator which tested audio and recording equipment. Walt Disney would use the 200B for the equipment in 12 theaters showing the movie Fantasia in 1940. -
Bombe
This was built as an electromechanical means of decrypting the Nazi ENGIMA messages that were intercepted. This was the brainchild of Alan Turing and Harold Keen during WWII in Bletchley Park -
Project Whirlwind
First built to train bomber crews and built by MIT, this was found to be too inaccurate and inflexible. The Navy lost interest and the US Airforce picked up Whirlwind II as part of the SAGE air defense system. -
SSEM "The Baby"
University of Manchester researchers Frederic Williams, Tom Kilburn, and Geoff Toothill created the Small-Scale Experimental Machine (SSEM), also known as the Manchester Baby. They used this to test out new memory technology, Williams Tube, which was the first electronic RAM for a computer. The baby also ran the first computer program on a computer. -
IBM 650 Magnetic Drum
IBM establishes the 650 as its first mass-produced computer. The 650´s magnetic data-storage drum allowed much faster access to stored information than other drum-based machine -
IBM Model 701
This was the computer that marks IBM’s entry into the computer market. IBM would then later dominate this market in the later decades. -
SAGE System
The first large-scale computer communications network, SAGE connects 23 hardened computer sites in the US and Canada. Its task was to detect incoming Soviet bombers and direct interceptor aircraft to destroy them -
Electronic Recording Machine Accounting
ERMA was a machine designed to read checks from the very beginning. Check reading became overwhelming after WWII and many customers were signing checks. Trained bankers could not keep up wit the demand. Bank of America spent $10 million developing and creating the machine which helped process checks with greater efficiency. The machine also featured a cardless reading, replaced by magnetic ink that could be read by both humans and machines. -
Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS)
The US Navy Tactical Data System uses computers to integrate and display shipboard radar, sonar and communications data. This helped to improve the situational awareness for US naval ships. -
Minute Man I Guidance Computer
Minuteman missiles use transistorized computers to continuously calculate their position in flight. The computer had to be rugged and fast, with advanced circuit design and reliable packaging able to withstand the forces of a missile launch. Some of these computers were then given to universities for student use. -
Apollo Guidance Coomputer
This fit computing power of a computer the size of 7 refrigerators side by side into a package only 1 cubic foot. This computer enabled the astronauts of Apollo 11 to land on the moon and made the one of biggest achievement in human history. -
HP-35
This fit all the features of HP’s desktop scientific calculator into a package small enough for Bill Hewlet’s shirt pocket. This helped HP become one of the most dominant companies in the handheld calculator market. -
Apple I
The Apple I was sold as a whole computer only missing a monitor. This computer opened up the world of computers to regular people instead of just hobbyists. -
Pentium Processor
This was a processor that enabled programs to run faster such as executing several instructions at the same time and support for graphics and music. The name Pent comes from the Greek word “five” with the Latin ending of “ium” -
Sharp J-SH04
This was the first ever phone to have an integrated digital camera. This phone helped create a market of mobile phones with built in digital cameras. -
MacBook Air
This was the world’s first true ultra-notebook. This was a light and thin computer with integrated Wi-Fi and camera. The HDD was also replaced by an SDD to help keep its size down. -
Amazon Kindle
This was not the first electronic reading system created, but it was one that garnered many customers. The kindle has expanded the market for “E books” and made electronic reading popular. -
iPhone
The iPhone combined utilities that normally needed different computers/items to run them and combined it into one machine. It was a music player, cell phone, calculator, and was modular in a way that you just needed to download an application “app” to play a game or add a different utility. -
Nest Learning Thermostat
This was a thermostat that connected to the internet and was able to be controlled from a phone or a tablet. This thermostat also learned of energy consumption and used this to better control your home temperature, hence the name “Learning Thermostat” -
Raspberry Pi Computer
This is a credit card sized single board computer to help promote science education. This product is popular with students and hobbyists. The one millionth computer was sold on October 13th. -
Micro Mote
This was the smallest computer at the time of its creation. The computer is so inexpensive that you could throw thousands into the environment to detect accurate readings. -
Apple Watch
Computer fit into the size of a watch. While not the first time attempted, it was one one of the more revolutionary attempts at making them.