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Vannevar Bush invents and builds the Differential Analyzer,
1931: At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Vannevar Bush invents and builds the Differential Analyzer, the first large-scale automatic general-purpose mechanical analog computer, according to Stanford University -
Alan Turing presents the Turing machine
Alan Turing, a British scientist and mathematician, presents the principle of a universal machine, later called the Turing machine, in a paper called On Computable Numbers according to Chris Bernhardt's book Turing machines are capable of computing anything that is computable. The central concept of the modern computer is based on his ideas. Turing is later involved in the development of the Turing-Welchman Bombe, an electro-mechanical device designed to decipher Nazi codes during World War II -
john Vincent submits a grant proposal to build the first electric-only computer,
John Vincent Atanasoff, a professor of physics and mathematics at Iowa State University, submits a grant proposal to build the first electric-only computer, without using gears, cams, belts or shafts. -
Konrad Zuse completes his Z3 machine
German inventor and engineer Konrad Zuse completes his Z3 machine, the world's earliest digital computer, according to Gerard O'Regan's book "A Brief History of Computing . The machine was destroyed during a bombing raid on Berlin during World War II. Zuse fled the German capital after the defeat of Nazi Germany and later released the world's first commercial digital computer, the Z4, in 1950, according to O'Regan. -
Atanasoff and his graduate student, Clifford Berry, design the first digital electronic computer in the U.S.
Atanasoff and his graduate student, Clifford Berry, design the first digital electronic computer in the U.S., called the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC). This marks the first time a computer is able to store information on its main memory, and is capable of performing one operation every 15 seconds, according to the book "Birthing the Computer -
Two professors at the University of Pennsylvania, John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert, design and build the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator
Two professors at the University of Pennsylvania, John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert, design and build the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC). The machine is the first "automatic, general-purpose, electronic, decimal, digital computer," according to Edwin D. Reilly's book "Milestones in Computer Science and Information Technology -
A team at the University of Cambridge develops the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (
the first practical stored-program computer," according to O'Regan. "EDSAC ran its first program in May 1949 when it calculated a table of squares and a list of prime numbers," O'Regan wrote. In November 1949, scientists with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research now called CSIRO, build Australia's first digital computer called the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Automatic Computer CSIRAC is the first digital computer in the world to play music, according to O'Regan. -
Grace Hopper develops the first computer language
which eventually becomes known as COBOL, which stands for COmmon, Business-Oriented Language according to the National Museum of American History(opens in new tab). Hopper is later dubbed the "First Lady of Software" in her posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom citation. Thomas Johnson Watson Jr., son of IBM CEO Thomas Johnson Watson Sr., conceives the IBM 701 EDPM to help the United Nations keep tabs on Korea during the war. -
Douglas Engelbart reveals a prototype of the modern computer
at the Fall Joint Computer Conference, San Francisco. His presentation, called "A Research Center for Augmenting Human Intellect" includes a live demonstration of his computer, including a mouse and a graphical user interface (GUI), according to the Doug Engelbart Institute(opens in new tab). This marks the development of the computer from a specialized machine for academics to a technology that is more accessible to the general public. -
The newly formed Intel unveils the Intel 1103
he first Dynamic Access Memory (DRAM) chip. -
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak co-found Apple Computer on April Fool's Day.
They unveil Apple I, the first computer with a single-circuit board and ROM (Read Only Memory), according to MIT -
Microsoft invests $150 million in Apple
which at the time is struggling financially. This investment ends an ongoing court case in which Apple accused Microsoft of copying its operating system. -
Wi-Fi, the abbreviated term for "wireless fidelity" is developed
initially covering a distance of up to 300 feet (91 meters) Wired reported -
Ma OS X, later renamed OS X then simply macOS, is released by Apple
as the successor to its standard Mac Operating System. OS X goes through 16 different versions, each with "10" as its title, and the first nine iterations are nicknamed after big cats, with the first being codenamed "Cheetah," TechRadar reported. -
AMD's Athlon 64, the first 64-bit processor for personal computers
is released to customers. -
Google buys Android, a Linux-based mobile phone operating system
Google buys Android, a Linux-based mobile phone operating system -
The MacBook Pro from Apple hits the shelves.
he Pro is the company's first Intel-based, dual-core mobile computer. -
Microsoft launches Windows 7 on July 22
The new operating system features the ability to pin applications to the taskbar, scatter windows away by shaking another window, easy-to-access jump lists, easier previews of tiles and more, TechRadar reported. -
The iPad, Apple's flagship handheld tablet, is unveiled.
The iPad, Apple's flagship handheld tablet, is unveiled. -
Apple releases the Apple Watch. Microsoft releases Windows 10.
Apple releases the Apple Watch. Microsoft releases Windows 10.