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1050 BCE
South-Pointing Chariot
The South-Pointing Chariot was a gear-operated mechanical vehicle developed by the ancient Chinese that was used to guide the user in the southern cardinal direction. https://history-computer.com/CalculatingTools/AnalogComputers/South_pointing_chariot.html -
Period: 1050 BCE to 1206
Ancient/Medieval Computing
The era of computing prior to the digitalization of computers. Computers in this category are mechanical/analog, and generally existed prior to the 20th century. -
1206
Elephant Clock
The Elephant Clock was a medieval machine invented by mechanical engineer Al-Jazari. The clock was built to represent the cultural diversity of Islamic civilization. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/7045228/Elephant-Clock-is-centrepiece-of-Science-Museums-Islamic-exhibition.html
https://mvslim.com/ever-heard-elephant-clock-al-jazari/ -
Invention of the Slide Rule
The slide rule is a mechanical calculator invented by William Oughtred, that is used for calculating trigonometric functions and logarithms. It was an essential tool within science and engineering, until it was replaced by the electronic calculator in the late 20th century. https://www.britannica.com/science/slide-rule -
First Mechanical Calculator (Pascal)
Blaine Pascal, a French mathematician/physicist, invented the world's first mechanical calculator in 1642. Pascal invented the calculator as a means of assisting his father in his tax accounting. His invention of the calculator would help inspire and influence the designs of future calculators. https://www.educalc.net/196488.page -
The First Digital Computer: Atanasoff-Berry Computer
The Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) was the first digital computer to be brought into this world by John Vincent Atanasoff. Although some may argue that the first real digital computers were the Colossus and ENIAC, the ABC was the first computer to have the properties of a digital computer. The computer utilized capacitors to store data in binary form, and logic circuits to perform addition and subtraction. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Atanasoff-Berry-Computer -
Period: to
First Generation of Digital Computers
The 1st generation of digital computers generally utilized vacuum tubes in their machines. Computers of this generation had no operating systems, and could only perform single tasks. -
Colossus Mk1
The Colossus was the first large-scale digital computer, originally invented during World War 2 to break transmitted enemy code more efficiently than its predecessors. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Colossus-computer -
First General Purpose Computer: ENIAC
The ENIAC was the first programmable general-purpose computer created by the U.S. The ENIAC was designed to compute values for artillery range tables. The machine lacked features that would have made it a general-use machine. https://www.britannica.com/technology/ENIAC -
Period: to
Second Generation of Digital Computers
The 2nd generation of computer systems utilized transistors in their machines instead of vacuum tubes, making them more reliable. There were many programming languages developed during this period of time. Operating systems and storage media had started to see use in computers during this generation too. -
UNIVAC
The Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC) was one of the earliest commercial computers to be developed. The UNIVAC was a commercial data-processing computer, designed to replace punched-card accounting machines at the time. https://www.britannica.com/technology/UNIVAC -
IBM 650
The IBM 650 was it's first commercially successful computer. The computer read data from punched cards and magnetic tapes. There were more than 1,500 units being used, making it the world's most successful computer during that time. The computer used a fixed-head magnetic drum that rotated at 12,500 RPM for its internal memory. Magnetic disks were made available for the 650 later on in 1956. https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/58056/ibm-650 -
Introduction of Hard Disk Drives
The first hard disk drives were invented in 1953 by California-based IBM laboratory. In 1956, the hard drives at the time were originally sold with the RAMAC 305 systems. One hard drive was the size of two refrigerators, and held about 5 megabytes, at a cost of about $10,000 per megabyte. https://thinkcomputers.org/the-history-of-the-hard-drive/ -
IBM 305
The IBM 305 RAMAC was the first computer to utilize a hard drive. The computer weight over a ton, and was 16 square feet. Although it needed to be transported by plane, it was far better than using punch cards. The computer was able to store roughly 64,000 punch cards worth of data. The magnetics disks were accessed by two vacuum-controlled arms. https://gizmodo.com/ibm-305-ramac-the-grandaddy-of-modern-hard-drives-5494858 -
First Modem - Bell 103
The Bell 103 was the first commercial modem to be manufactured by AT&T. It was the first modem with full-duplex transmission, frequency-shift keying, and had a transmission speed of 300 bits per second. The invention of the modem had allowed computers to communicate and share information with each other. https://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/d_u_m_h -
Period: to
Third Generation of Digital Computers
This generation of computers introduced integrated circuitry into computers, allowing computers to become smaller in size, and more powerful/reliable. Computers started to run multiple tasks simultaneously with the introduction of MS-DOS, the IBM PC, and the Apple Macintosh. Computers would eventually develop into powerful machines that we use in our everyday lives for many of our tasks. -
ARPANET
ARPANET was an experimental computer network, created by the U.S Defence Department, that influenced the creation of the internet. The purpose of ARPANET's creation was to link the computers at Pentagon-funded research institutions together through telephone lines.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/ARPANET -
Invention of the Floppy Disk
The floppy disk was invented by Alan Shugart, an employee at IBM. The first floppy disks used an 8 inch disk, which gradually evolved into 5.25 inch disks. Floppy disk drives were first used in IBM PCs in 1981. The drives received the name "floppy" because if it's flexible plastic envelope. https://computer.howstuffworks.com/floppy-disk-drive1.htm -
Intel Is Founded
Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore founded Intel Corporation on this day, marking the beginning of Intel's journey to become one of the biggest processor manufacturers. Link text -
AMD Is Founded
AMD was founded in 1969 by the former executive of Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation, Jerry Sanders, and seven other people. The company originally started off as a supplier of second-source chips for Intel Corporation, but eventually set off in their own direction in 1986. AMD released their first stand-alone microprocessor family in 1991. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Advanced-Micro-Devices-Inc -
First Microprocessor: Intel 4004
Intel released the first ever microprocessor in 1971, and was designed by Federico Faggin and Masatoshi Shima. It was originally released for smaller computing systems, such as calculators, cash machines, and automated teller machines. The release of this CPU would be the first step for Intel's path to their success. -
Apple I
The Apple I was a computer that was built together by Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and Ron Wayne. It was initially created as a little project in a bedroom, but eventually gained the attention of others, and thus sparked the beginning for Apple's development of computers. http://applemuseum.bott.org/sections/computers/a1.html -
Introduction of MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system, used in x86-based computer systems, that was developed by Microsoft. MS-DOS gained huge popularity in the 1980s and early 90s, marking the first step of Microsoft's success. However, the OS died in popularity later on, as it's features started to become obsolete. It was eventually replaced with Microsoft Windows. https://www.britannica.com/technology/MS-DOS -
IBM Introduces the PC
The IBM Personal Computer, introduced in 1981, was the first PC to gain mass adoption by businesses and industries. It was powered with the Intel 8088, and utilized Microsoft's MS-DOS. The invention of the IBM PC sparked a new ecosystem of computer software, peripherals, and other sorts of things. https://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/1981/ -
Introduction of the Macintosh Computer
The Apple Macintosh, released in 1984, was the first computer to enter the family line of Apple Macs, and was the first Apple PC to introduce a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI allowed users to click on the icons of the programs they wanted to open, instead of having to type the name of the program in a command line. https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_334371?hootPostID=20159815314cdf52fbda8a8ca5d299e5 -
Arrival of SSDs
Although the development of SSDs came about in the 1950s, they weren't commercially sold until the 90s. Although SSDs came with faster performance than mechanical hard drives, they were very costly. In 1991, a 20MB SSD costed $1,000, which was obviously way too expensive for what it was. Hard drives were much cheaper and had better price to performance at the time. Now a days, SSDs have become a great storage solution. https://insights.samsung.com/2019/02/26/the-evolution-of-ssd-storage/ -
The World Wide Web Became Publicly Available
The World Wide Web, the system that the world now uses today, was a project created by Tim-Berners Lee, in hopes to make information more accessible and shareable around the world. Although nobody really knew about the Web during it's initial release, it slowly started to gain popularity as more and more people had started to become aware of it. Now the Web has become a worldwide database and community that people around the world are constantly using. http://bit.ly/2AXcOAj -
Intel Pentium Series is Announced
The Intel Pentium series, introduced in 1993, sparked a new family-line of CPUs. The first Pentium sported a 60Mhz and 66Mhz chip, contained 3.1 million transistors, and was built in an 800nm process. The Pentium branding would last from 1993 even until today. The Pentium series now utilizes the Kaby-Lake microarchitecture seen in the Intel Core series. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-drops-pentium-brand,1832-2.html
https://www.britannica.com/technology/Pentium -
Invention of the Memory Card
The introduction of memory cards allowed smaller devices, such as cameras and portable gaming systems to have access to storage in a small form factor. SD cards are a great way to store your files, as they are portable and easy to store. These cards also have the ability to transfer its files onto a computer system, similar to a USB flash drive. -
Windows 95
Windows 95 was the OS that succeeded Windows 3.1, and became a hit among PC owners. Windows 95 brought updates to existing features, and a UI overhaul. This OS introduced features that we are familiar with nowadays, such as the recycle bin, shortcuts, and the plug and play feature (which automatically recognizes the hardware being plugged into the computer). The OS would later on influence future Windows operating systems. https://www.techopedia.com/definition/13515/windows-95 -
Wi-Fi is Introduced
Wi-Fi, the internet technology that we love to use, was originally introduced in 1997 and supported download speeds of up to 2MB per second. Overtime, Wi-Fi slowly started to take over the world, as hotspots started to appear in many places such as coffee shops and restaurants, allowing portable computers and smartphones to stay connected and communicate in public areas. https://purple.ai/blogs/history-wifi/ -
AMD Athlon Series is Introduced
The x86 based processor family was introduced in 1999 to compete against Intel's Pentium CPU line-up. The Athlon processor was the first desktop CPU to reach speeds of one gigahertz, thus successfully beating Intel's Pentium 3, the CPU's competitor at the time.
https://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/122155/technology/the_amd_athlon_processors_history.html -
USB Flash Drives
The introduction of USB flash drives allowed people to store their files in a portable, pocket-sized flash-based storage solution. The physical size of USB flash drives are small, like the size of your finger. USB drives have great durability and reliability, since they don't contain any fragile moving parts (hence the term "flash" drive). https://www.techopedia.com/definition/2322/usb-flash-drive -
Broadband Internet
The introduction of broadband internet allowed much faster transfer speeds compared to those of dial-up internet. Broadband services exist in the forms of DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), cable, fiber-optic, and satellite. Although there are many options available, the most popular ones are cable internet and DSL. However, fiber-optic seems to be the upcoming internet option, as it can handle growing internet speeds better than the other options listed. https://whatismyipaddress.com/broadband -
Introduction of macOS
macOS (not to be confused with Macintosh Operating Systems, or Classic Mac OS), is the latest OS being used by Apple in their Mac systems. Originally introduced in 2001 as Mac OS X, it was created in order to replace the older "Classic" Mac OS that was being used in their previous systems. macOS is now the second most used desktop OS, next to Microsoft Windows. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Mac-OS -
Windows XP
Windows XP was released in 2001, as the successor to Windows 98 and 95 operating systems. Windows XP came with an overhaul to the system's interface, the ability to update the OS through an internet connection, and increased multi-lingual support. Windows XP gained worldwide recognition, and became the world's most used OS for a while, and is still being used by many people today. https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/w/winxp.htm -
Amazon Web Services
The introduction of Amazon Web Services sparked a huge start in cloud computing, allowing businesses and developers to compute through the internet, on Amazon's servers. Businesses are able to network, manage, and program their infrastructure and plan for the future. https://aws.amazon.com/what-is-aws/ -
Intel Releases Core 2 Series
Intel releases the Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad CPUs, making multi-core processors available and more affordable for the general public. This marked a new step in CPU manufacturing, as multi-core processors start to become the new standard. -
Introduction of the Google App Engine
Google App Engine allows app-developers to host and develop web applications within Google's services. Apps are required to be written in Java or Python, use the Google query language, and to have their data stored in Google BigTable (a high-performance data storage system). https://searchaws.techtarget.com/definition/Google-App-Engine -
Windows 7
Windows 7 was introduced in 2009 as a better replacement for the unpopular Windows Vista. It fixed many errors Vista had in its OS, and made changes to the user interface. Windows 7 had become a world-renowned OS, and is still quite popular with users to this today. Some people may even argue that it is the best version of Windows out there to this date. Windows 7 eventually took over Windows XP in terms of popularity. -
Intel i3, i5, and i7 Series are available for the public.
Intel releases the first line-up of the series, offering CPUs at a wide price range, from a budget-friendly price point, to a high-end price point. This CPU lineup would soon dominate the consumer CPU market for the next several years. -
Launch of Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure (formally Windows Azure) is Microsoft's public cloud-computing service. Azure provides a variety of services, including the ones such as analytics, computing, storage, and networking. Azure features and services are somewhat similar to those of Amazon's, causing the two services to rival against each other. https://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/definition/Windows-Azure -
Google Compute Engine
Google Compute Engine (GCE) is a cloud-computing service that allows its clients to run their workloads on Google's computer hardware. GCE provides the use of Virtual Machines (VMs) to their clients, allowing distributed computing to thrive with them. GCE's services rival those of Amazon's and Microsoft, creating a three-way rivalry between three giant corporations. https://searchaws.techtarget.com/definition/Google-Compute-Engine -
Windows 10
Launched in 2015, Windows 10 is the successor to Windows 8.1, and is the current generation of Windows released for consumers. Windows 10 adds new features to accessibility, security, and makes the user-interface more simplistic and modern. Microsoft seeks to replace Windows 7 fully by the beginning of 2020. -
AMD Releases Ryzen CPU Series
AMD releases the Ryzen 3, 5, and 7 processors series, making quad, hexa, and octa-core processors more affordable for consumers. The release of these CPUs had created more competition for Intel to improve their products.
