Computer

History of Computers (1950s)

By GregClayton

  • 1951 - Invention of Magnetic Core Memory by Jay Forrester

    1951 - Invention of Magnetic Core Memory by Jay Forrester
    Magnetic Core Memory was invented in 1951 by Jay Forrester at MIT. This invention was a precursor to what we now know as RAM (Random Access Memory), helped made storage data possible and replaced inferior methods such as vacuum tubes and mercury delay lines.

  • 1954-57 - FORTRAN Language Invented by John W. Backus

    1954-57 - FORTRAN Language Invented by John W. Backus
    FORTRAN was the first successful High Level Language and was invented at IBM by a team of super-programmers led by John W. Backus between 1954 and 1957. The invention of FORTRAN language caused programs to compute in a fraction of the time it could before. For example, programs computing nuclear power reactor parameters took weeks to write, however, with the introduction of FORTRAN, this process not took hours instead of weeks.

  • 1958-59 - Integrated Circuit Invented

    1958-59 - Integrated Circuit Invented
    The introduction of the integrated circuit was the actions of 2 individuals, Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce in 1958-59. The integrated circuit was a monumental stepping stone for computer technology as it was able to replace transistors, while transistors were smaller than vacuum tubes, they were not small enough. The first circuit was no larger than the size of a pencil point.

  • 1958 - LISP Programming Language Invented by John McCarthy

    1958 - LISP Programming Language Invented by John McCarthy
    In 1958 at MIT, as part of an artificial intelligence project, John McCarthy invents LISP or List Processing. This programming language came to be one the most influential languages for artificial intelligence as it was an alternative to FORTRAN, focused on more simple flexible solutions and had additions such as Stephen Russell who turned the theoretical eval function in Lisp into real machine code.

  • 1959 - MOSFET Transistors Are Invented

    1959 - MOSFET Transistors Are Invented
    MOSFET transistors (Metal-insulated Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) were invented by Mohammed (John) Atalla and Dawon Kahng at Bell Labs in 1959. This invention brought what we now know as surface passivation, a pivotal moment that made possible the abundance of silicon integrated circuits which is a key component of modern day electronics.