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The Transistor
The first transistor was invented at Bell Laboratories by William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain. This transistor was important because it later made possible the integrated circuit and microprocessor. The transistor also allowed video products to become smaller. I chose this event because without the transistor, microprocessors and integrated circuits wouldn't be possible and technology wouldn't be as advanced as it is now. -
UNIVAC
The UNIVAC computer was the first commercial computer and was able to pick presidential winners. The computer was used by the government for the censuses. I chose the UNIVAC because without it we wouldn't have as much of an accurate census in the years it was used. It also allowed us to come up with better technology to count votes for presidential elections. -
Spacewear Computer Game
The Spacewar Computer game was the first computer game invented. Steve Russell, a programmer from MIT invented it; Spacewar was a two-player game involving warring spaceships firing torpedoes at each other. I chose this event because video games are a large source of entertainment in our lives today. -
Laser Printer
The laser printer was invented by Gary Starkweather while he was working with Xerox. I chose this event because printers are useful for us everyday. We are able to print our assignments and business memos with the invention of the printer. -
The "Floppy" Disk
The Floppy disk was invented by Alan Shugart and IBM. It was nicknamed floppy because of its flexibility. It was originally an 8-inch disk, that has evolved into a 3.5-inch disk today. I chose this because floppy disks were the first secondary memory created. Today, they aren't used as much, but they were the gateway to CDs, and thumb drives. -
Apple Computers Invented
Apple computers were founded by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. They created these personal computers in Steve Jobs garage. I chose this event because Apple products are very popular today and are used in everyday life through iPods, iPads, iPhones, and Apple computers. -
Animated Film Wins Academy Award
Pixar's film "Tin Toy" was the first animated short film to win an Academy Award. It also won the Oscar for best short animated movie. The programmers had to program 40 facial muscles to create the baby's facial expressions in the movie. I chose this event because the technology that was used to program the animation has now been modified to be able to program special effects that make movies more fun to watch. -
Yahoo is Founded
Yahoo was founded by Standford graduate students named Jerry Yang and David Filo. Yahoo was originally called "Jerry's Guide to the World Wide Web" until it was changed to Yahoo. I chose this event because Yahoo is one of the main search engines used today, and is also a good soure for the news headlines. -
Google
Google was founded by Sergey Brin and Larry Page on September 7, 1998. The two men met at Stanford and decide that the search engine, BackRub, that they created needed a new name, so they called it Google, a play on of "googol" a mathematical term. I chose this event because Google is the search engine that most teenagers use to help with research projects and other homework. -
iPod
In 2001, Apple produced its first iPod. It was able to hold 5-10 GB of data and the battery lasted 10 hours. I chose this event because the iPods are a main source of our entertainment, and the iPods turned to iPhones and iPads that can hold lots of data and are used in everyday life.
