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Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage invented the first automatic calculator, which eventually lead to the idea of the programmable computer. -
Herman Hollerith
Herman Hollerith invented a mechanical tabulator that read data off punch cards. He also founded the Tabulating Machine Company which later became IBM. -
The Z1 Computer
Built by Konrad Zuse, the Z1 was the first openly programable computer. It was an electric mechanical calculator that used binary. The Z1, along with all its construction plans, was destoryed in the Berlin bombings of World War II. -
1st Generation Computers
First gen computers stored data in vacuume tubes. -
2nd Generation Computers
2nd generation computers used transistors to store data. The Harwell Cadet and IBM 604 were both 2nd generation computers. -
ENIAC
The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) was the first high-speed electronic digital computer that was successful. It used over 18,000 vacuume tubes and filled 1,800 square feet. Because it was first put to use shortly after World War II, one of the first programs that ENIAC ran was a study of the hydrogen bomb. -
UNIVAC
UNIVAC (UNIVersal Automatic Computer) was the first digital computer to be sucessful commercially. It was concidered a 1st generation computer and was the last to store data in vacuume tubes. One of the machines was used to predict the outcome of the 1952 election, which it correctly predicted that Eisenhower would win in a landslide. -
Jack Kilby
Jack Kilby is the inventor of the integrated circuit, which allowed engineers to build computers that were smaller and less heavy. He is also the inventor of the handheld calculator. -
3rd Generation Computers
3rd generation computers used integrated circuits. Jack Kilby is the inventor of the integrated circuit. -
BASIC
BASIC (Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was an entry-level programming language that was easy to learn, and therefore revolutionized the software industry. -
4th Generation Computers
4th generation computer use miscroprocessor chips, the use of which enabled computers to become smaller, lighter, and more efficient. We still use these kinds of computers today. -
The GUI
GUI introduced the concept of graphic icons. Prviously, menu interfaces were menu-based. The company Xerox built the first computer to use GUI, but never sold it. Apple was the first to use GUI for commercial sales with the Apple Lisa several years later. -
Altair Computer
The Altair was the first personal computer. It had 246 bytes of memory and no monitor or keyboard. Switches were used to enter data and lights indicated the results. Though it was a technilogical breakthrough, the Altair only broke-even in sales for the company, MITS. -
Bill Gates
Bill Gates is one of the co-founders of Microsoft. He was an important driving force in the personal computer revolution. He is now one of the top five wealthiest people in the world. -
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was one of the cofounders of Apple Inc. He was an important figure in the personal computer revolution. He was also the co-founded Pixar Animation Studios. -
APPLE II
The Apple II boasted a color monitor, 4kb of RAM, and gaming capabilities. The operation was stored on ROM. Prior to this, the operating system had to be rewriten everytime you turned a computer on. -
WordStar
WordStar was an early word processing program. Introduced in the late seventies, it was one of the post popular word processors in the early and mid eighties. -
VisiCalc
VisiCalc was the first spreadsheet computer application. It was first released on the Apple II. -
Osborne Computer
The Osborne Computer was marketed at the first portable computer, even though it weighed about 25 pounds! The Osborne had a 5 inch screen and came preinstalled with word processing and spreadsheet capabilities. -
PageMaker
The Adobe program, PakeMaker, was an early desktop publishing application. It relied on GUI. -
Excel
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program that was popularized in the late eighties. It is still the most popular spreadsheet application available. Excel was the first spreadsheet that allowed users to modify how the spreadsheet looked. -
Mosaic
Mosaic was the web browser that made the Internet popular. It was simpler and easier to use than most other web browsers of the day.It was also the first browser the display images inline with text. Many of today's browsers have many of the same features that Mosaic did, including the URL bar. -
Netscape
Netscape was a web browser that was the most advanced of its time. When the second version of the browser was released it also offered Netscape Mail. Later Netscape developed the cross-platform Mozilla Suite which eventually led to the development of Mozilla Firefox web browser. In 1998, Netscape became free. Later that year they were bought out by AOL. The Netscape browser eventually declined in popularity with the rise of Internet Explorer.
