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Invention of the Z1 Computer
Konrad Zuse created the Z1 computer in 1940. It was the first programmable calculating machine to use the binary digital system with punch tape. It was used to solve complex engineering equations. The Z1 Computer was the first to use some of the componentry we use today; the control unit, arithmetic unit, and separate memory functions. -
Invention of the Transistor
A transistor is a device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and electrical power. It is a fundamental building block of electronic devices. The transistor is space saving and replaced the vacuum tube. The transistor revolutionized the field of electronics. -
The UNIVAC is Invented
The UNIVAC was the first commercial computer to attract widespread public attention. The first one was delivered to the US Census Bureau. Forty-six UNIVAC computers were sold for one million dollars each. The UNIVAC started making the general population aware of the usefulness and necessity of computers. -
Invention of the Integrated Circuit
The integrated circuit was invented by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments. It was also known as the silicon chip. It drastically reduced the size of computers. The integrated circuit combined the separate transistors, resistors, capacitors and all the connecting wiring onto a single crystal or chip. It was so revolutionary that soon after its invention all computers were manufactured using it. -
Invention of Space Wars
Space Wars was the first interactive computer video game. It was invented by Steve Russell, Shag Graetz, and Alan Kotok. Dueling players fired at each other´s spaceships and used early versions of joysticks to manipulate away from the central gravitational force of a sun as well as from the enemy ship. It featured interactive, shoot´em-up graphics that inspired future video games. It started bringing a whole new group, video game players, to the world of computers. -
The Invention of the Floppy Disk
The first floppy was an 8-inch flexible plastic disk coated with magnetic iron oxide. The floppy made it so people could take information with them, from one computer to another. The floppy disk was revolutionary because it made it possible for people to work on things they were doing on any computer anywhere. -
Invention of the Microprocessor
The first mass-produced microprocessor, the Intel 4004, was developed by Ted Hoff. It had 2,250 transistors, could perform up to 90,000 operations per second in four-bit chunks, and is all on a tiny silicon chip. The microprocessor has made compact computing possible. Computers have become cheaper and smaller. -
First Portable Computer is Invented
The first portable computer would fit under an airline seat, weighted 24 pounds and cost $1,795. This was a very good price and included a lot of software. The computer had a 5 inch display, 64 kilobytes of memory, two 5 ¼ in floppy disk drives and a modem. Even though this model had a very small screen, it started the trend of personal portable computing that has become so important for us today. -
Apple's Lisa Computer was Invented
The first personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) was the Lisa Computer introduced by Apple. Besides the GUI system it included a drop-down menu bar, windows, multiple tasking, a hierarchal file system, the ability to copy and paste, icons, folders and a mouse. It was very expensive at the price of $10,000 and sales of the Lisa Computer lasted only 3 years. It moved computers from text and keyboard commands to the GUI systems still in use today. -
The World Wide Web is Born
The World Wide Web was born when Tim Berners-Lee, a researcher at CERN, developed HyperText Markup Language (HTML) which allowed the Internet to expand into the World Wide Web. By using specifications he developed such as URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), a browser could follow links and send a query to a server, allowing a user to view a site. Mr. Berners-Lee wanted people to work together by combining their knowledge in a global web of hypertext documents.
