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Mechanical Calculators
Inventions like Blaise Pascal's Pascaline and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz's step reckoner introduced mechanical calculators. -
The Analytical Engine
Charles Babbage proposed the Analytical Engine, a programmable mechanical computer. Although it was never completed, it laid the groundwork for future computing concepts. -
Harvard Mark I
Developed by Howard Aiken and IBM, it was one of the first large-scale electromechanical computers. -
Z3
Created by Konrad Zuse in Germany, it was the first programmable computer. -
ENIAC
One of the first general-purpose electronic computers, it used vacuum tubes and was programmable. -
EDVAC
Proposed the stored-program concept, leading to more versatile computer designs.
Transistors and Integrated Circuits -
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Integrated Circuits
The invention of the transistor replaced vacuum tubes, making computers smaller and more reliable. Integrated Circuits (ICs): Allowed multiple transistors to be embedded on a single chip, drastically reducing size and cost.
Microcomputers -
Apple II
popularized home and office computing. -
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The Internet and Networking
Development of TCP/IP protocols facilitated networking, leading to the rise of the internet. The World Wide Web, created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989, revolutionized information sharing. -
IBM PC
popularized home and office computing. -
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Modern Era
Rapid advancements in processing power, mobile computing, and cloud technology.