-
Charles Babbage
English mathematician Charles Babbage the first automatic calculator called the Analytical Engine.
Interesting Fact: Charles Babbage designed two classes of engines: Difference engines and Analytical Engines. -
Herman Hollerith
Herman Hollerith applies Jacquard's punchcard concept to computing with his Hollerith Tabulating machine.
Interesting Fact: Herman Hollerith first got his idea for the punch-card tabulation machine from watching a train conductor punch tickets. -
Z1 Computer
German inventor Konrad Zuse invents the mechanical calculator which is thought to be the first computer to include certain features integral to todays systems.
Interesting Fact: Actually all the first computers of Zuse was named with V (V1 to V4), but after the WWII he changed their names to Z1 to Z4, in order to avoid the nasty association with the V1-V4 military rockets. -
Period: to
1st Generation Computers
Vacuum tube based computers like the UNIVAC and computers like it are used. -
Eniac
The 1st successful high speed electronic digital computer, Eniac, is created.
Interesting Fact: In one second, the ENIAC (one thousand times faster than any other calculating machine to date) could perform 5,000 additions, 357 multiplications or 38 divisions. -
UNIVAC
The world's first commercially successful electronic digital computer, UNIVAC, is created.
Interesting Fact: It was as big as a room and would cost $7 million today. -
Period: to
2nd Generation Computers
Transistor based computers are used. -
Jack Kilby
Jack KIlby invents the worlds first integrated circuit.
Interesting Fact: He not only invented the worlds first integrated circuit, but he also created the microchip. -
Bill Gates
Bill Gates and Paul Allen use BASIC to create a program for Altair which later leads to the creation of the well-known program Microsoft.
Interesting fact: If Bill Gates was a country he would be the #63 richest country in the world. -
BASIC
The Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instrucation (BASIC) programming language is introduced and revolutionizes the software industry.
Interesting Fact: The BASIC programming language played such a huge role in the success of the Apple II that Steve Jobs encouraged Bill Gates in 1982 to make a version of BASIC for the yet-to-be-release Macintosh. -
Period: to
3rd Generation Computers
Integrated Circuit based computers are used. -
Period: to
4th Generation Computers
Microprocessor chip based computers are used. -
Altair Computer
The first personal computer, Altair, is invented by a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico named Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS).
Interesting Fact: Though it was very expensive, it had little internal and no external memory, no printer, and no keyboard or other input device. An Altair fitted out with those items might cost $4,000 dollars whereas, today, a computer with such capabilities would not cost even HALF of that amount. -
Steve Jobs
Built Apple I & formed the Apple Computer Company.
Interesting Fact: Steve was adopted. -
Apple II
Apple II is born which featured color monitor, sound, and game paddles by the Apple Computer Company. It was based off of Apple I, but it was created by one person, Steve Wozniak.
Interesting Fact: This invention was considered to be the greatest work done by one person. -
WordStar
WordStar, the first word processing application, is created.
Interesting Fact: it was the first commercially successful word processing software program produced for microcomputers and the best selling software program of the early 80's. -
Visicalc
Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston create the first electronic spreadsheet application, Visicalc.
Interesting Fact: It was released to the public in 1979, running on an Apple II computer. -
Osborne Computer
The worlds first portable computer, the Osborne computer, is created.
Interesting Fact: The Osborne wasn't intended to be high performance or revolutionary, however, the Osborne I turned out to be a great success and in September 1981, OCC had its first million dollar sales month. -
GUI
The graphical user interface (GUI) is introduced which allowed users to interact with the computer more easily.
Interesting Fact: Although Apple was the first to successfully mass-produce a GUI, they were not its inventors, nor were they the first to market it. The honor for producing the first working GUI goes to Doug Englebart who also invented the mouse. -
Excel
One of the 1st spreadsheets to use a graphical user interface, Excel, is created.
Interesting Fact: The first version of Excel was released for the Mac in 1985 and the first Windows version was released in November 1987. -
PageMaker
The first desktop publishing software, PageMaker, is created.
Interesting Fact: PageMaker was introduced by Aldus in 1985 whose founder was Paul Brainerd. Brain. Nerd. You knew good things were to come. -
Mosaic
Mosaic, the first popular graphical web browser in history, is officially released and serves as a basis for many other popular browsers.
Interesting Fact: Mosaic may take the title for the first popular web browser, but the honor of the inaugural graphical web browser belongs to ViolaWWW. -
Netscape
Founders Marc Andreessen & James H. Clark found Netscape which build the first commercial web browser.
Interesting Facts: The name Netscape was a trademark of Cisco Systems.
