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1450
Printing Press is Invented
Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press to circulate books, including the Bible. He did this in the hopes of spreading knowledge to those who previously couldn't afford to buy handwritten text. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johannes-Gutenberg -
First Programmable Mechanical Computer is Designed
Charles Babbage advances computer technology by designing the first programmable Mechanical Computer.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py4S4JKnmZc[(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py4S4JKnmZc) -
The First Computer Programmer Emmerges
Ada Lovelace becomes the first notable computer programmer, making advancements in the field of computer science that were not yet seen before her time.
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/ada-lovelace-the-first-tech-visionary -
The Dewey Decimal System is Created
Melvil Dewey creates the Dewey Decimal System, a classification system used to organize books. It is a precursor to the modern day internet in the way that it made finding and organizing information more efficient. You can find more info here -
The Universal Decimal System is Developed
Paul Octet and Henri LaFontaine developed the Universal Decimal System in an attempt to gather and organize "the world's information" and share it internationally with others. Octet's vision of being able to read with the use of screens and keyboards was foreshadowing to the way we share information now. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henri-La-Fontaine
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Otlet -
Differential Analyzer is Created
Vannevar Bush creates the Differential Analyzer, a machine the size of a room that was made to analyze different equations.
https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/the-rise-and-fall-of-vannevar-bush -
First electronic digital computer is designed
Alan Turing designed the first electronic digital computer
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/obituaries/alan-turing-overlooked.html -
First Digitally Programmed and Operated Robot Is Built
Inventor George Devol made the very first digitally operated and programmed robot named Unimate and put him to work in a New Jersey assembly line.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/george-c-devol-99-self-taught-tinkerer-who-invented-robotic-arm/2011/08/17/gIQA0Ed5LJ_story.html -
The ARPNET is Created
Larry Roberts and Thomas Merrill connect computers from California to Massachusetts with a dial-up telephone line.
https://theconversation.com/how-the-internet-was-born-from-the-arpanet-to-the-internet-68072 -
The First Email is Sent!
Ray Tomlinson sent the first email and made the @ symbol the universal electronic locater sign -
Desktop Computers Are Created for Academic Purposes
The first desktop computer is introduced by IBM and Hewlett-Packard. Their main purpose was for scientific research rather than social communication.
https://www.computerhistory.org/brochures/g-i/hewlettpackard-company-hp/ -
Usenet is Created
Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis developed Usenet, a decentralized site that had a similar purpose to Reddit today. Users would connect with each other through text based conversations about specific topics of interest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qFAGE8d55k -
MERIT Proposes The Commercial Potential of the Internet
Michigan network MERIT brings up the possible commercial appeal of the internet to the National Science Foundation, introducing the idea of internet access for the general public -
The Internet is Freed
CERN, the European organization for nuclear research, decentralized the internet and made it free and accessible to everyone. https://www.britannica.com/topic/CERN -
Browsers Change at Rapid Speed
Mosaic, a web browser that was more graphic and easy to use than its predecessor Gopher, becomes a popular way to surf the net but was quickly replaced by Netscape Navigator. This rapid change shows the mercurial nature of internet developments in the 90's. -
Telecommunications Act of 1996
This law mandated that all US classrooms, libraries, and hospitals be connected through the internet, thus causing a boom in the use of the web in public spaces.
https://www.fcc.gov/general/telecommunications-act-1996 -
Google Revolutionizes the Internet
Google launched and set itself apart from other search engines by showing search results in an order based on relevance rather than the presence of the searched term. -
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
A new law is introduced to regulate the use of copyrighted material on the internet in the US.
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/copyright/dmca -
Algorithms Are Introduced to Search Engines
Google introduces finding search results through an algorithm, which is a set of complex, rule based formulas that come together to show the user the best information for their query.
https://computer.howstuffworks.com/google-algorithm.htm -
The Modern Day Internet
The internet as we know it today is tool for education and connection through social media. Thanks to the technological advances of computer scientists from the past, most people around the world have access to the World Wide Web.