-
1450
The Printing Press Begins Operating
Johannes Gutenberg's moveable-type printing press is perfected and begins operating. The mass production of literature leads to substantial social changes, not the least of which include the advent of mass media and a sharp increase in literacy rates during the Renaissance. -
Babbage Differential Engine
Inventor Charles Babbage begins work on the first mechanical computer, called a 'difference engine', designed to calculate polynomial functions. His second model, designed in 1847 but never built at the time, can be seen in action here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be1EM3gQkAY -
Ada Lovelace Becomes First Programmer
The English mathematician Ada Lovelace first meets Charles Babbage, being the first to recognize the invention had uses beyond calculation. She is largely considered the first computer programmer for her work with Babbage's machine and other such devices. -
Turing Publishes "On Computable Numbers"
Alan Turing publishes the scientific paper On Computable Numbers, proposing the idea of a "Universal Computing machine". His theories and work would form the basis for the creation of modern digital computers. -
J.C.R. Licklider Conceptualizes the Internet
J.C.R. Licklider, the first head of computer research at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), writes memos conceiving of "a globally interconnected set of computers". Licklider is credited as an early pioneer in computing technology, helping to create ARPNET as well as the idea of a graphical user interface.
https://www.internetsociety.org/internet/history-internet/brief-history-internet/ -
ARPANET Launches
The first two computers are connected to ARPANET, a precursor to the modern internet for educational and military facilities, run via packet switching technology. -
The First E-Mails Are Sent
Ray Tomlinson, in response to a need for users to send messages to one another, creates an application for sending "electronic mail" across computer networks, debuting to the public the same time as ARPANET. (Ray Tomilson is also the inventor of the @ symbol!)
https://www.internethalloffame.org/official-biography-raymond-tomlinson -
Personal Computers Hit the Markets
The Altair 8800 debuts on the cover of Popular Electronics. While more for hobbyists then the general public, the Altair 8800's commercial success would create a new market for personal microcomputers outside of purely academic settings.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_334396 -
First Spam Emails Sent
Gary Thuerk, a marketing manager promoting a new brand of computer, sends out unsolicited bulk emails to ARPANET users. The move would earn his company over $13 million in sales. -
Usenet Launches
Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis develop the service Usenet, a decentralized network where users would post messages to different categories to share information and discuss topics of interest. Usenet's culture is seen as a precursor to the modern internet, foreshadowing its organization as well as coining jargon that would see common use on the internet. -
World Wide Web First Proposed
While working at CERN, Tim Berners-Lee submits a proposal to create an information managing system that connected computers via hypertext, a network later known as the World Wide Web. His boss considered the proposal "vague, but exciting".
http://info.cern.ch/Proposal.html -
The Web Goes Live
CERN releases the source code for the World Wide Web two years after its successful creation, allowing public access to the internet for the first time. Mosaic and Netscape Navigator release around the same time, popularizing easy-to-use interfaces for home computers. -
The Web Goes Commercial
New encryption tech is developed by Netscape, making financial transactions through the internet safer. This year would also see the founding of Echo Bay, later known as eBay, and Amazon.com -
Google!
Using revolutionary new code that allowed for better web searches, Google launches this year and becomes the quintessential internet search engine. -
Digital Millenium Copyright Act
The DMCA is signed into law, bringing US Copyright law into the digital age and updating it for the internet era, most notably introducing the rule of exempting indirect liability for internet providers and content hosts. -
Napster!?
Audio file-sharing site Napster goes live, launching the idea of peer-to-peer file sharing in the general public. -
Wikipedia Launches
The internet-based encyclopedia Wikipedia launches, allowing for the collective gathering and recording of knowledge on a large scale. -
Social Media Goes Live With MySpace
MySpace launches in 2003, becoming the first social network to reach a global audience and defining the concept of social media. -
YouTube Buffers Up
Video hosting website Youtube goes live, becoming the quintessential video sharing website. -
Twitter Flies
The hugely influential social networking site Twitter is launched to the public.
https://twitter.com/Jack/status/20