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100
Abacus
The Abacus was invented around 2400 B.C. and was (and still can be) used for math: addition, subtraction, multiplication, square roots, and more. This really inspired us later to build an easier calculating device. -
101
Antikythera Mechanism
The Antikythera Mechanism was made in 87 BC and was used in order to track the Sun, Moon, and other planets as they moved. There are at least 30 gears inside. This Mechanism has inspired us to build astronomic devices and develop self working tools. -
121
Heron's Automaton
Heron of Alexandria was an amazing mathemetician and inventer. One of these inclueded the "Automaton". A robot type device used to entertain crowds. This really helped us with computers because of the way he used wire, ropes, and cyndrical axils to program it is similar to computer Binary Code. -
Jan 11, 724
Liang Ling-Can's Clock
This was the first geared, fully functional clock. It was made in 724 and ran by water. It was built by Ling-can in China and is said to be the reason we have early robots and some of the computer technology today. -
Philipp Matthäus Hahn's "Calculating Machine"
Philipp Hahn was known for building clocks, but he decided one day that he wanted assistance or just a quick way to go through calculations. He spent quite a while inventing a special machine that could do just that... but to finally finish it took about three years. But this device, the gears, and its purpose lead us into an age way our calculators can go past the "Calculating Machine's" limit of 12 digits. It was a big step into the future. -
Tesla's Remote Control
The remote control was presented in Madison Square Gardens to show how radio waves could be used to pass information or control something. Nikola Tesla was very smart and created things such as the Radio but for some reason was unable to get people to patent them. However, these inventions have led to radio communication and fun devices that we play with in our day. -
Colossus
The Colossus was a computer used secretly in WWII as an encrypting device and was hardly known by anyone until after the War. This was very special in our advance into technology and computing... however, many were destroyed. -
Claude Shannon: Computer Chess
Claude Shannon wrote a paper on programming a computer to play chess. He discovered that you can use a minimax procedure based on the position of a certain piece, then program the computing device to decide on a move. Today, we use and expand his work and have not only chess, but thousands of games played by or on a computer. -
ARPAnet
This has got to be about the BIGGEST step into the future we call present. ARPA net was launched in 1969 as a way of communication and passing of knowledge. It was not realized for its full potential until later... only librarians, math professors, and engineers really used this device. But it was used once by someone at UCLA but to no avail -- it crashed as he reached the "G" in Login. -
Special Effects Group: (now) Pixar Animation
This group led to a breakthrough of animation and pixel work. There development of 3D looking images were astounding and were used in both movie and gaming. Their work has, somewhat obviously, led to amazing animation films and technology that are used on an everyday basis. The company was bought by Disney and make "Pixar" in 1986.
