Timeline: Most important personalities in computer history

Oct 18, 1821

Charles Babbage

Designed the Difference and Analytical Engines, the earliest direct progenitors of modern computers The Analytical Engine was the earliest expression of an all-purpose, programmable computer The University of Minnesota named in his honor The Charles Babbage Institute Center for the History of Computing

Nov 28, 1936

Konrad Zuse

Z1 Computer
First freely programmable computer.

Nov 28, 1942

John Atanasoff & Clifford Berry

ABC computer
Who was first in the computing biz is not always as easy as ABC.

Nov 28, 1944

Howard Aiken & Grace Hopper

invented Harvard Mark I Computer.

Nov 28, 1947

John Bardeen, Walter Brattain & Wiliam Shockley

No, a transistor is not a computer, but this invention greatly affected the history of computers.

Dec 2, 1949

Claude Shannon

Builds the first machine that plays chess

Nov 28, 1951

John Presper Eckert & John W. Mauchly

UNIVAC Computer
First commercial computer & able to pick presidential winners.

Nov 27, 1953

Andrew Kay

Best known as the father of the KAYPRO personal computer, the only major computer platform designed and manufactured in San Diego County
Inventor of the digital voltmeter for his own Non-Linear Systems in 1953
Inspiration for psychologist Abraham Maslow's theory of "enlightened management"

Nov 28, 1954

John Backus & IBM

FORTRAN Computer Programming Language
The first successful high level programming language.

Nov 27, 1958

Seymour Cray

Widely acknowledged as the "Father of the Supercomputer" Credited with developing the first fully transistorized supercomputer in 1958 A founding employee of Control Data Corporation in 1957; directed its engineering department 1957 to 1965 Invented CRAY-1 vector register technology, and innovative cooling designs for the CDC 6600 and CRAY-1 Founded ground-breaking Cray Research in 1972

Nov 28, 1958

Jack Kilby & Robert Noyce

The Integrated Circuit. Otherwise known as 'The Chip'

Nov 28, 1962

Steve Russell & MIT

Spacewar Computer Game.
The first computer game invented.

Dec 2, 1970

Intel - RAM

Intel 4004
The world's first available dynamic RAM

Dec 2, 1972

Atari

Atari releases pong

Jan 21, 1975

Portable computers

Altair invents the first portable computer

Nov 27, 1975

Lee Felsenstein

Moderator of the now-legendary Homebrew Computer Club from 1975 through 1986
Designed the Processor Technology Sol, one of the first competitors to the Apple II
Designed the Osborne-I portable computer in 1981, the first mass-produced portable computer
Designer of the Pennywhistle modem, one of the first inexpensive modems for personal computers
An organizer of the Hacker's Conference in 1984
Currently a senior researcher and leader of rapid-prototyping engineering at Interval Research Corporati