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GM-NAA I/O Operating System
The first operating system used for real work produced by General Motors' Research division for its IBM 704. -
Hard Disk Drives (HDD)
An electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with magnetic material. -
Spacewar!
Believed to be the first game developed for computers at MIT. -
The Merit Network
Formed at the Michigan Educational Research Information Triad to explore computer networking between three of Michigan's public universities. -
ARPANET
ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), the network that ultimately evolved into what we now know as the Internet, is created to disseminate information during the Cold War., -
Development of E-mail
Developed by Ray Tomlinson, who decided to use the “@” symbol to separate the user from the computer name. -
Floppy Disks
Originally a component of IBM products, Floppy Disks were one of the first ways for users to store data. -
CYCLADES
The CYCLADES packet switching network was a French research network designed and directed by Louis Pouzin, planning the network to explore alternatives to the early ARPANET design and to support internetworking research. -
Beginning of Global Networking
ARPANET made the first trans-Atlantic connection with the University College of London via underwater cables. -
PONG
The first commercially available video game. -
Microsoft
Best-known software products are the Windows line of operating systems and the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity applications. -
Telenet
The first FCC-licensed public data network in the United States. -
Apple
Founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Produces personal computers and smart phones. -
Spam E-mails
The first unsolicited commercial spam email message was sent out to 600 California Arpanet users by Gary Thuerk. -
Bulletin Board Systems (BBS)
The first public dial-up BBS was developed by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess, members of the Chicago Area Computer Hobbyists' Exchange (CACHE) during the Great Blizzard of 1978. -
MS-DOS
An operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. -
"Elk Cloner" Virus
The first computer virus to be detected that was created outside of the computer lab it was created in. -
Boston Computer Exchange
The first online marketplace. -
NSFNET Project
The National Science Foundation funded national supercomputing centers at several universities in the United States, thus creating network access to these supercomputer sites for research and academic organizations. -
Compact Disc (CD)
A digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. -
The World Wide Web
The linking hypertext documents into an information system, allowing accessibility from any device on the network. -
Solid-State Drive (SSD)
A type of solid-state storage device that uses integrated circuits to store data persistently. -
America Online (AOL)
Launched for DOS. Provided a dial-up internet service to millions of Americans and pioneered instant messaging and chat rooms with AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). -
DOOM
The first computer game to popularize PC-to-PC multiplayer. -
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
The standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. -
Amazon
One of the most popular online storefronts on the planet. -
The Satellaview
One of the first satellite modem peripherals produced for a video game console. Produced by Nintendo for the Super Famicom/SNES. -
Dancing Baby
Considered to be the first widespread internet meme. -
eBay
Allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. -
SEGA Dreamcast
First video game console with a built-in modular modem for online play. -
Google
The most popular search engine in the world. -
SD Card
A proprietary, non-volatile, flash memory card format the SD Association (SDA) developed for use in portable devices. -
BonziBUDDY
A freeware desktop virtual assistant created by Joe and Jay Bonzi. Upon a user's choice, it would share jokes and facts, manage downloads, sing songs, and talk, among other functions, as it used Microsoft Agent. Discontinued in 2004 after the company behind it faced lawsuits regarding the software collecting user data and was ordered to pay fines. -
USB Drive
A data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. -
Xbox Live
The first pay-to-play online system for game consoles. -
Facebook
The website's membership was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and gradually most universities in the United States and Canada, corporations, and then the public. -
Nintendo WFC
Nintendo's first online multiplayer gaming service run that formerly provided free online play in compatible Nintendo DS and Wii games. -
YouTube
The most popular video hosting website in the world. -
microSD
The smallest memory card that can be bought. -
PlayStation Network (PSN)
One of the first game consoles to have a subscription fee to play online. -
Twitter
An American social media site used to post text, photos, and videos. -
Google Chrome
One of the most used internet launchers. -
Trollface
A rage comic meme image of a character wearing a mischievous smile, used to symbolize internet trolls and trolling. It is one of the oldest and most widely known rage comic faces. -
Homestuck
One of the most popular and longest running web-comics. -
Instagram
A photo and video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. -
Twitch
An American video live-streaming service that focuses on video game live streaming, including broadcasts of esports competitions, in addition to offering music broadcasts, creative content, and "in real life" streams. -
Discord
An instant messaging and VoIP social platform which allows communication through voice calls, video calls, text messaging, and media. -
TikTok
An extremely popular short-form video hosting service owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance.