History of calculator title image

History of the Calculator

By hopepoulsen313
  • 2000 BCE

    The Abacus

    The Abacus
    How to Use an Abacus
    The abacus is the oldest counting tool first used by the Sumerians and Egyptians around 2,000 B.C. There are still some parts of the world today that use the abacus for basic math functions.

  • The Slide Rule

    The Slide Rule
    After logarithms and logarithm scales were discovered, William Oughtred invented the slide rule. This was the first device that could help its user perform multiplication and division. The slide rule was an essential part of children's education until the 1980s - it was even used in the calculations to send to the first man to the moon!

  • First Functional Calculator

    First Functional Calculator
    Philip Matthäus Hahn needed help calculating the parameters of the clocks and planetariums he created, so he invented the first calculator that could operate all four functions: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

  • The Arithometer

    The Arithometer
    The first commercially produced four-function calculator was invented by Charles Xavier Thomas de Colmar. Although it was invented in 1820, it was not mass produced until 1851, launching the mechanical calculator industry.

  • First All-Electronic Desktop Calculator

    First All-Electronic Desktop Calculator
    Called the ANITA MK-8, the Bell Punch Co. invented and produced the first desktop calculator for use in homes and offices,

  • First Handheld Calculator

    First Handheld Calculator
    Commercial for First Handheld Calculator
    Texas Instruments (the calculator company we know and love today!) invented and produced the first handheld calculator. Although the commercial in the link attached is not for this specific calculator, it still shows how much of a big deal this type of calculator was at the time.

  • First Handheld Programmable Calculator

    First Handheld Programmable Calculator
    The HP-65 was marketed by Hewlett-Packard as a "personal computer". Customers could use pre-programmed cards or create programs of their own on blank cards to use on the calculator. This was the first handheld calculator in space.

  • First Graphing Calculator

    First Graphing Calculator
    Casio fx-7000G was the first graphing calculator that could also hold up to ten programs in it. Casio's invention has 422 bytes of memory and could perform 82 scientific functions.

  • Present Day Calculators

    Present Day Calculators
    Today, companies are trying to keep up with the constant progression of technology. We now have calculators that are touch screen, color display, adaptable display, can be hooked up to computer applications, and so much more!