Computer History

  • Z3 Computer

    Z3 Computer
    Konrad Zuse finishes the Z3 Computer. This was the world's first fully automatic computing machine. The Z3 had a 22-bit word length.
  • FORTRAN

    FORTRAN
    FORTRAN was the first high level programming language. FORTRAN was created by John Backus for IBM and is still used today for programming.
  • SpaceWar

    SpaceWar
    SpaceWar was the first interactive computer game. SpaceWar was written by MIT students Slug Russell, Shag Graetz, and Alan Kotok. This inspired future video games.
  • Computer Mouse

    Computer Mouse
    Douglas Engelbart invented the computer mouse. It was named mouse because it had a "tail" coming out of the back. This was invented to use with a GUI.
  • RAM

    RAM
    Intel introduces the world's first RAM (random-access memory) chip. It was the bestselling memory chip in the world. The first avaliable computer using RAM was the HP 9800 series.
  • Apple-1

    Apple-1
    Steve Wozniak designed the Apple-1. The Apple-1 was a single-board computer. This is when Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs started Apple.
  • Personal Computer

    Personal Computer
    IBM introduced the PC. This computer ran on an Intel microprocessor. This computer started a fast growth in the personal computer market.
  • Macintosh

    Macintosh
    Apple introduced the Macintosh computer. The Macintosh had a mouse and window interface. The famous commercial was played to introduce the Macintosh.
  • Windows

    Windows
    Microsoft introduced Windows. Microsoft also lined up other applications that ran under Windows (Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel). This helped PCs move more toward user friendly concepts.
  • The World Wide Web

    The World Wide Web
    The World Wide Web was released to the public. It included a simple browser, web-server software, and a library. At the time, the World Wide Web was the only way to view the web.