302 Timeline Project

By atran2
  • 2400 BCE

    Abacus

    Abacus
    The abacus is one of the earliest tools that humans use to aid with computing. Origins trace back to 2nd century B.C. Originally being a flat stone covered with sand or dust where words and letters were drawn on it. China developed the abacus further, which we know today and made arithmetic algorithms less challenging. This tool was used to perform arithmetical processes and even included a decimal system. This invention served as a catalyst to future computing aids, such as the calculator.

  • Burroughs Adding Machine

    Burroughs Adding Machine
    In 1888, William Seward Burroughs I made the Burroughs Adding Machine, which was a straight adding and listing machine and it was sold for $475. This machine dominated in the market as "ninety per cent of all adding machines sold are Burroughs". This invention led to the "de-skilling" and "feminization" in jobs such as bookkeepers, cashiers, and accountants. This meant that more women joined those jobs as well as "leveled the playing field".

  • IBM System/360

    IBM System/360
    On April 7, 1964, IBM announced the release of the mainframe computer called IBM System/360. This computer could perform up to 34,500 instructions per second. The significance of this invention is that it was the first computer to allow users to upgrade their computer to a larger system without rewriting the software. This computer also introduced a couple of standards to the industry for making computer such as 32-bit words and the 8-bit byte. Thus, this computer influenced computer design.

  • Apple II Computer

    Apple II Computer
    The first Apple II computer was sold on June 10, 1977. Apple II's operating system was in ROM and the cassette tape was its only storage. It was the first highly successful microcomputer made - by 1984, over six million machines were sold. What contributed to this personal computer's success includes its advanced graphic and sounds, as well as the aggressive marketing done for this product. The significance of this event is a push towards individuals owning a computer instead of only companies.

  • World Wide Web

    World Wide Web
    Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web on the NeXT computer in 1989. Built on TCP/IP protocols, this web browser allowed users to view and traverse between the Web pages through hyperlinks. In addition, he also written the three fundamental technologies for the web that we use today: HTML, URL, and HTTP. I feel that the World Wide Web was the most significant as it served as the biggest catalyst to things such as the sharing of information like the news and communication like social media.

  • Source

    Abacus: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/abacus Burroughs Adding Machine: https://history-computer.com/inventions/burroughs-adding-machine-history-of-the-burroughs-adding-machine/ IBM System/360 and Apple II Computer: https://www.wikipedia.org/ World Wide Web: https://webfoundation.org/about/vision/history-of-the-web/