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Difference Engine
J. H. Mueller conceived the idea of the difference engine, which was designed to arrange polynomial functions.The idea was expanded upon by Charles Babbage. He had started to invent the machine in 1822, but the British government stopped funding the project. The machine was never actually built until 2002. sources:
Computer History
The Babbage Engine -
Vacuum Tube
John Ambrose Fleming invents the first vacuum tube. The vacuum tube used thermionic emission, which was the transmission of a charged current using a heated conductor. They controlled electron flow in early computers. sources:
Nov. 16, 1904: Vacuum Tube Heralds Birth of Modern Electronics
Vacuum tube -
Z1 Computer
Konrad Zuse invented what is known as the first modern computer, the Z1. It made many groundbreaking developments in computer calculations, such as floating-point arithmetic, high-capacity memory and modules or relays operating on the yes/no principle. sources:
Inventors of the Modern Computer -
Transistor
John Bardeen , William Shockley , and Walter Brattain invented the transistor. The transistor replaced vacuum tubes in computers, as transistors used less power and space than vacuum tubes did. sources:
The History of the Transistor
The Invention of the First Transistor, November 17-December 23, 1947 -
RAM
Jay Forrester invented RAM, or random access memory, which allowed for one to find any information within the computer without fastforwarding or rewinding through the memory. sources:
Jay Forrester -
The IBM 610 Auto-Point Computer
The IBM 610 Auto-Point Computer was the first personal computer. sources:
The IBM 610 Auto-Point Computer -
Integrated Circuit
Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce invented the integrated circuit separetely at almost the same time. The integrated circuit placed the transistors, resistors, capacitors and all the connecting wiring onto a single chip. sources:
The History of the Integrated Circuit aka Microchip -
Dataphone
AT&T invented the first dataphone in 1960. It was used to convert digital computer signals to analog signals for transmission across long distance networks. sources:
Timeline of Computer History -
The Computer Mouse
Douglas Engelbart created a prototype of the modern computer, with a mouse and a graphical user interface (GUI). This made computers more user friendly. sources:
Computer History -
Floppy Disk
The floppy disk was invented by IBM. It was made to store information. sources:
How Floppy Disk Drives Work -
Intel 4004
Intel invented the world's first single chip microprocessor, the Intel 4004. This invention went a step ahead of the integrated circuit, and placed the central processing unit, memory, and the input and output controls of a computer all into one chip. sources:
Intel 4004 - The World's First Single Chip Microprocessor -
Apple I
The first Apple computer is released by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. It is the first computer to have single-circuit board. sources:
Computer History -
WordStar
The first word processor, WordStar, was invented by Seymour Rubenstein and Rob Barnaby. sources:
WordStar - The First Word Processor -
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