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Ray Tomlinson Sends the First Email
Though the content, "something like QWERTYUIOP", was simply a test, Ray Tomlinson forever changed the world of communication by sending the first email. He was also the creator of the "@" symbol, which is used to assign a destination for a message. We can now send a message to someone anywhere in the world in seconds! -
Don Lancaster Designs the TV Typewriter
The outline of Don Lancaster's design of the TV typewriter debuted in the September 1973 issue of Radio Electronics, a hobbyist publication. It could generate and store 512 characters on 16 lines. A cassette tape interface provided supplementary storage. It was used by television stations well into the nineties and paved the way for closed captioning, an invaluable resource for the hearing impaired. -
Chuck Peddle Helps Launch the Computer Revolution With the MOS 6502
While working for Motorola, Chuck Peddle saw a customer demand for an affordable microprocessor. His efforts frustrated management, prompting him to leave his job and pursue his goal at MOS Technology. When he unveiled the MOS 6502 at a San Francisco conference for $25 as opposed to the $300 option from Motorola, many attendees believed that it was a joke! This technology became popular with Apple and Nintendo and was instrumental in making computers available to the average household. -
Games Go From Bars to Our Homes Thanks to Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney
Though Atari was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, their 1977 Video Computer System (VCS) marked the first widely successful in-home video game system. Until this invention, games were only available in places such as bars and bowling alleys and cost money each time you lost your lives. It sold more than twenty million units through the eighties with more than 900 game titles being released. -
Two College Students Make Online Gaming a Reality
The first Multi-User Domain (or Dungeon), MUD1, allows many people to challenge each other online. The technology was developed by University of Essex students, Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw. It allowed fellow students an opportunity to relax, socialize and seek adventure with others around the world from the comfort of their dorms.