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The grandfather of digital computers
John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert built the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC). This computer is considered the grandfather of digital computers. It is so large, it fills a 20-foot by 40-foot room and has 18,000 vacuum tubes. The ENIAC was one of the first computers, and it is the "grandfather" of many computers and calculators today. -
Transistor is created
William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain of Bell Laboratories invented the transistor. They discovered how to make an electric switch with solid materials and no need for a vacuum. This meant no more 20-foot by 40-foot rooms, they can be much smaller now. -
COBOL, this first computer language is developed
Grace Hopper developed the first computer language. It was eventually known as COBOL. This language is the "grandfather" of current coding languages. Also, Thomas Johnson Watson Jr. conceives the IBM 701 EDPM to help the United Nations keep tabs on Korea during the war. -
the modern computer, kind of
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. This has also influenced our current computers greatly because of the mouse and GUI. -
"Acorn," the first PC
The first IBM personal computer, code-named "Acorn," was introduced to the public. It used Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system. It had an Intel chip, two floppy disks, and an optional color monitor. Sears & Roebuck and Computerland sold the machines, marking the first time a computer is available through outside distributors. It also popularized the term PC.
