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the word "computer"
The word "computer" was first recorded as being used in 1613 and was originally was used to describe a human who performed calculations or computations. The definition of a computer remained the same until the end of the 19th century. When people began to realize machines never get tired and can perform calculations much faster than any team of human computers ever could. -
first computer
The first mechanical computer created by Charles Babbage doesn't really resemble what most would consider a computer today. Keep in mind that early inventions that helped lead up to the computer such as the abacus, calculator, and tablet machines are not counted in this document. -
the first programable computer
The Z1 was originally created by Germany's Konrad Zuse in his parents living room in 1936 to 1938. It is considered to be the first electro-mechanical binary programmable (modern) computer. Or the first functional computer. -
project wirlwind
Project Whirlwind begins. During World War II, the U.S. Navy approached the Massachusetts Institute of Technology about building a flight simulator to train bomber crews. The team first built a large analog computer.project wirlwind By the time the Whirlwind was completed in 1951, the Navy had lost interest in the project, though the U.S. Air Force would eventuall -
the mini computer
The precursor to the minicomputer. It sold for $120,000. One of 50 built, the average PDP-1 included with a cathode ray tube graphic display. It´s large scope intrigued early hackers at MIT, who wrote the first computerized video game, SpaceWar!, for it. -
companies
In 1970, Xerox Corporation hired Dr. George Pake to lead a new research center in Palo Alto, California. PARC attracted some of the United States’ top computer scientists. It produced many groundbreaking inventions that transformed computing—most notably the personal computer graphical users. -
the mouse
The mouse was developed 41 yeas ago by Douglas Engelbart. At the Stanford Research Institute, in California. Engelbart demonstrated the mouse along with several other key innovations including hypertext and shared-screen collaboration. -
popular electronics
The January edition of Popular Electronics featured the Altair 8800 computer kit. Within weeks of the computer´s debut, customers inundated the manufacturing company, Bill Gates and Paul Allen licensed BASIC as the software language for the Altair. Ed Roberts invented the 8800 which sold for $297, or $395 with a case and coined the term "personal computer." -
first hard drive
Seagate Technology created the first hard disk drive for microcomputers, the ST506. The disk held 5 megabytes of data, five times as much as a standard floppy disk. The hard disk drive itself is a rigid metallic platter coated on both sides with a thin layer of magnetic material that stores digital data. -
the amiga1000
The Amiga 1000 is released. Commodore’s Amiga 1000 sold for $1,295 dollars and had audio and video capabilities beyond those found in most other personal computers. It developed a very loyal following and add-on components allowed it to be upgraded easily. -
video toaster
The Video Toaster was a video editing and production system for the Amiga line of computers and included custom hardware and special software. Much more affordable than any other computer-based video editing system. The Video Toaster was not only for home use. It was popular with public access stations and was even good enough to be used for broadcast television shows like Home Improvement. -
Iomega Zip Disk
The Iomega Zip Disk is released. The initial Zip system allowed 100MB to be stored on a cartridge roughly the size of a 3 ½ inch floppy disk. Later versions increased the capacity of a single disk from 100Mbytes to 2GB.
