History of the Computer

By dionl

  • First programmable computer

    The Z1, originally created by Germany's Konrad Zuse in his parents living room in 1936 to 1938 is considered to be the first electro-mechanical binary programmable (modern) computer and really the first functional computer.

  • The first digital computer

    J.V. Atanasoff and his graduate student, Clifford Berry, design a computer that can solve 29 equations simultaneously. This marks the first time a computer is able to store information on its main memory.

  • First commercial computer

    In 1942, Konrad Zuse begin working on the Z4, which later became the first commercial computer after being sold to Eduard Stiefel a mathematician of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich on July 12, 1950.

  • The first electric programmable computer

    The Colossus was the first electric programmable computer and was developed by Tommy Flowers and first demonstrated in December 1943. The Colossus was created to help the British code breakers read encrypted German messages.

  • Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC)

    Two University of Pennsylvania professors—John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert—build the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC). Considered the grandfather of digital computers, it fills a 20 foot by 40 foot room and has 18,000 vacuum tubes.

  • UNIVAC

    Mauchly and Presper leave the University of Pennsylvania and receive funding from the Census Bureau to build the UNIVAC, the first commercial computer for business and government applications.

  • COBOL and the IBM 701 EDPM

    Grace Hopper develops the first computer language, which eventually becomes known as COBOL. Inventor Thomas Johnson Watson, Jr., son of IBM CEO Thomas Johnson Watson, Sr., conceives the IBM 701 EDPM to help the United Nations keep tabs on Korea during the war.

  • FORTRAN

    The FORTRAN programming language is born.

  • The first computer with RAM

    MIT introduces the Whirlwind machine on March 8, 1955, a revolutionary computer that was the first digital computer with magnetic core RAM and real-time graphics.

  • The Computer Chip

    Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce unveil the integrated circuit, known as the computer chip.

  • Prototype of the Modern Computer

    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.

  • The Floppy Disk

    Alan Shugart leads a team of IBM engineers who invent the “floppy disk,” allowing data to be shared among computers.

  • The first microprocessor

    Intel introduces the first microprocessor, the Intel 4004 on November 15, 1971.

  • IBM 5100

    The IBM 5100 becomes the first commercially available portable computer.

  • Apple Computers

    Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak start Apple Computers on April Fool’s Day and roll out the Apple I, the first computer with a single-circuit board.

  • TRS-80

    Radio Shack's initial production run of the TRS-80 was just 3,000. It sold like crazy. For the first time, non-geeks could write programs and make a computer do what they wished.

  • “Acorn”

    The first IBM personal computer, code named “Acorn,” is introduced. It uses Microsoft’s MS-DOS operating system. It has an Intel chip, two floppy disks and an optional color monitor. Sears & Roebuck and Computerland sell the machines, marking the first time a computer is available through outside distributors. It also popularizes the term PC.

  • The first dot-com domain name

    The first dot-com domain name is registered on March 15, years before the World Wide Web would mark the formal beginning of Internet history. The Symbolics Computer Company, a small Massachussets computer manufacturer, registers Symbolics.com. More than two years later, only 100 dot-coms had been registered.

  • Pentium microprocessor

    The Pentium microprocessor advances the use of graphics and music on PCs.

  • Gaming Machines

    PCs become gaming machines as Command & Conquer, Alone in the Dark 2, Theme Park, Magic Carpet, Descent andLittle Big Adventure are among the games to hit the market.

  • Mac OS X and Windows XP

    Apple unveils the Mac OS X operating system, which provides protected memory architecture and pre-emptive multi-tasking, among other benefits. Not to be outdone, Microsoft rolls out Windows XP, which has a significantly redesigned GUI.

  • First 64-bit processor

    The first 64-bit processor, AMD’s Athlon 64, becomes available to the consumer market.

  • Firefox vs Internet Explorer

    Mozilla’s Firefox 1.0 challenges Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, the dominant web browers.

  • MacBook Pro

    Apple introduces the MacBook Pro, its first Intel-based, dual-core mobile computer, as well as an Intel-based iMac.

  • Windows 7

    Microsoft launches Windows 7, which offers the ability to pin applications to the taskbar and advances in touch and handwriting recognition, among other features.

  • iPad

    Apple unveils the iPad, changing the way consumers view media and jumpstarting the dormant tablet computer segment.