-
Hewlett-Packard Is Formed
David Packard and Bill Hewlett found Hewlett-Packard in a Palo Alto, California garage. Their first product was the HP 200A Audio Oscillator, which rapidly becomes a popular piece of test equipment for engineers. This is the beginning of computers, which is obviously a major part in the developement of compute This is an important event because it was the absolute first computer. Obviously, without a start, there can't be any progress, so this is very much worth mentioning. -
The Complex Number Calculator (CNC) Is Completed
In 1939, Bell Telephone Laboratories completed this calculator, designed by researcher George Stibitz. In 1940, Stibitz demonstrated the CNC at an American Mathematical Society conference held at Dartmouth College. Stibitz stunned the group by performing calculations remotely on the CNC (located in New York City) using a Teletype connected via special telephone lines. I chose this because this is considered to be the first demonstration of remote access
computing. -
Magnetic Core Memory on the Whirlwind Computer
At MIT, Jay Forrester installed magnetic core memory on the Whirlwind computer. Core memory made computers more reliable, faster, and easier to make. Such a system of storage remained popular until the development of semiconductors in the 1970s. I chose this because it was an important step in updsating storage of computers. -
A Silicon-Based Junction Transistor
A silicon-based junction transistor, perfected by Gordon Teal of Texas Instruments Inc., brought the price of this component down to $2.50. I chose this because it is an important step in shrinking the size of computer parts, but also increasing their efficiency. -
AT&T Designs Its Dataphone
AT&T designed its Dataphone, the first commercial modem, specifically for converting digital computer data to analog signals for transmission across its long distance network. I chose this because it's the first instance of commercial use of computers in phones. -
Digital Equipment Corp. introduces the PDP-8
Digital Equipment Corp. introduced the PDP-8, the first commercially successful minicomputer. The PDP-8 sold for $18,000, one-fifth the price of a small IBM 360 mainframe. The speed, small size, and reasonable cost enabled the PDP-8 to go into thousands of manufacturing plants, small businesses, and scientific laboratories. I chose this because it is the first time a computer is massively shipped to businesses, plants, and labs. -
SRI International´s Shakey became the first mobile robot controlled by artificial intelligence
SRI International´s Shakey became the first mobile robot controlled by artificial intelligence. Equipped with sensing devices and driven by a problem-solving program called STRIPS, the robot found its way around the halls of SRI by applying information about its environment to a route. Shakey used a TV camera, laser range finder, and bump sensors to collect data, which it then transmitted to a DEC PDP-10 and PDP-15. I chose this because it's the first AI controlled robot, and robots are sweet. -
Tandem Computers tailors its Tandem-16
Tandem computers tailored its Tandem-16, the first fault-tolerant computer, for online transaction processing. The banking industry rushed to adopt the machine, built to run during repair or expansion. I chose this because it's one of the first instances of banks adopting computers. -
Seagate Technology Created the First Hard Disk Drive
Seagate Technology created the first hard disk drive for microcomputers, the ST506. The disk held 5 megabytes of data, five times as much as a standard floppy disk, and fit in the space of a floppy disk drive. The hard disk drive itself is a rigid metallic platter coated on both sides with a thin layer of magnetic material that stores digital data. I chose this because it's the first time a hard disk is implemented into computers. -
The Iomega Zip Disk is Released
The Iomega Zip Disk is released. The initial Zip system allowed 100MB to be stored on a cartridge roughly the size of a 3 ½ inch floppy disk. Later versions increased the capacity of a single disk from 100Mbytes to 2GB. I chose this because it greatly increased storage on a computer.
