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2700 BCE
Abacus is Invented
The abacus was a calculating tool that is thought to have first been founded and used by the Babylonian people. This instrument is composed of multiple small beads on small wires that you can slide around to perform calculations for decimal point numerical values. It was used for a long time before being replaced by the Hindu-Arabic numeral system. This system is still used in certain countries today, an example being Japan. -
Napier's Bones is Invented
Napier's Bones is a calculator that is typically made of strips of ivory material divided into multiple sections. Each of the divided sections has different numbers that are used to perform multiplication or division. This device was made to quickly perform the functions of multiplication, division, and lattice multiplication. -
Slide Rule is Invented
A slide rule is a device made by William Oughtred that is used to calculate functions, such as multiplication and division, performing square roots, calculating some trigonometric functions, and calculating logarithms. This machine is composed of many small scales that are capable of being moved around. This was used until the portable calculator made it obsolete. https://www.britannica.com/science/slide-rule -
Pascaline is Invented
The Pascaline, invented by Blaise Pascal, is the first device that was able to be produced on a wide enough scale to be used by many people, though it only was able to perform addition and subtraction operations. Pascal was able to build 50 of these machines in a 10-year time span. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Pascaline -
Stepped Reckoner is Invented
The Stepped Reckoner, invented by Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, was first built in 1673. This machine was an improved invention of Pascal's, where it would be able to perform multiplication by using repeated addition. This system utilized binary numbers, as Leibniz saw using only double digits to be most efficient for mathematicians. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Step-Reckoner -
Jacquard Loom is Invented
The Jacquard Loom was the first of its kind to be able to have woven intricate designs into materials with relative ease, and it also was the first machine adapted to be able to produce patterned fabrics that were knitted. This machine was developed by Joeseph-Marie Jacquard in France. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Jacquard-loom -
Augusta ada Byron is born
Augusta Ada Bryon, also known as Ada Lovelace or Lady Lovelace was born December 15, 1815, and passed on November 27, 1852, at age 36. She was an English mathematician in her time, and she supported her partner Charles Babbage in creating the first prototype for a digital computer. Because of this, she is often called the first computer programmer. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ada-Lovelace -
Arithmometer is Invented
The Arithmometer was built by Charles Xavier Thomas de Colmar in France in 1820. This machine was made to support the higher needs during the Industrial Revolution in Europe. This meant it had to surpass its older counterparts to be more efficient in calculations. This device was mass-produced and was a big hit, being sold for 90 years and being able to perform many functions faster than its competition at the time.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/Arithmometer -
Difference and Analytical Engines are Invented
The Difference Engine was thought to be the first computer ever made. Charles Babbage, who designed this machine with help from Lady Lovelace, could calculate logarithms needed to assist in navigation. This machine was made to help Babbage in his work for the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). With the help of his machine, Babbage was able to help British sailors in life-or-death situations with the support of the British government. -
The Scheutzian Calculation Engine is invented
The Scheutizan Calculation Engine was made to perform the calculations of most other calculators in its time. However, this machine would enter numbers into columns to perform the function it is tasked with, and using logarithmic tables, the answer would be found and put into print for the user. https://prezi.com/p/tbigpe-qwsnw/scheutzian-calculation-engine/?fallback=1#:~:text=What%20is%20it%20used%20for,multiplication%2C%20division%2C%20or%20exponents. -
The Tabulating Machine is Invented
The Tabulating Machine was made to be a counter for the official U.S. Census in 1890. The machine, designed by Herman Hollerith, has cards that had holes punched into them at specific parts on the card to operate as a counting system. The system is not a computer since it is not able to be programmed, instead, it would be able to count 40 cards at one time. https://history-computer.com/tabulating-machine/ -
Z1 Is Built
The Z1 was a computer that was a binary electrically driven manual calculator. This calculator had the ability to be programmed a little, using given instructions from a role of punched tape. The Z1 was mostly known to be one of the first calculators to introduce the usage of free binary numbers and Boolean Logic (or, put more simply, the use of yes/no statements in binary numbers). This calculator, during WWII, had many parts that are still seen in modern computers today http://zuse.zib.de/z1 -
Harvard Mark 1 is Invented
The Harvard Mark 1 was made during World War II. Howard Aiken made this machine because he realized that the calculators of the time were very basic, much like the calculator that Baggage produced. Then, after doing some extensive research and toying around with prototypes, Aiken designed a huge calculator that used 3 paper tape readers, 2 card readers, 1 card punch, and 2 typewriters. The machine could process an equation in 2 to 6 seconds. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Harvard-Mark-I -
EDVAC Is Invented
EDVAC is the sucessor of the ENIAC. Unlike other computers, like the ENIAC computer this machine succeeded, the EDVAC was designed to read instructions electronically rather than through a tape roll or some other previously used method. Using leaders and numbers to create a code for this machine proved to be very efficient, as the function of the computer would be accelerated, simplify circuitry, and expand possibilities for programming. http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3983 -
ENIAC Is Invented
The ENIAC was built by the United States during WWII, and it was the first general-purpose electronic digital computer ever made. This computer came about from a government-funded study at the University of Pennslyvania. The army stood overwatch of this project starting in 1943. The purpose of the invention was to calculate artillery range tables, but it apparently was missing pieces and had flaws that allowed it to be as useful as it was intended to be. -
The Transistor Is Invented
The Transistor is a semiconductor that amplifies, controls and generates electrical signals. The transistor works as a microchip in an integrated circuit. These transistors have three components, namely the emitter, the collector, and the base (though modern terms have been deemed for each of these). The signal that originates from the base influences the semiconductor to conduct the current, which in turn flows through the emitter and collector. https://www.britannica.com/technology/transistor -
UNIVAC is Invented
The UNIVAC was one of the first computers that was a commercial product. John Mauchly, the same man who helped work on the ENIAC computer, worked with the U.S. again to struggle in the process of making this computer. It worked simply by using an operator keyboard and a console typewriter to record the output of an input on pieces of separated tape. The design of this computer was often changed, as it was originally designed to only process data. https://www.britannica.com/technology/UNIVAC -
Molecular Informatics is discovered
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FORTAN Is Invented
FORTRAN, known also as Formula Translation, is a language made by John Backus. This language is a landmark in the programming language industry because Backus was able to use algebraic equations in order to form easy-to-understand English shorthand. This language also introduced more people to computer languages and it expanded to more people since more people were gainging access to a form of computer at the time this new language was formed. https://www.britannica.com/technology/FORTRAN -
The Computer Chip Is Invented
The computer chip was the first product that was able to incorporate an integrated system of circuits embedded with semiconductive material. The chip is made to make the process of processing more efficient and to make the memory storage on a computer larger. The only downside to making computer chips is that the chips are very small and sensitive. This makes the chips very delicate and hard to make since they can be ruined easily by dust. https://www.britannica.com/technology/computer-chip -
COBOL Is Invented
Common Business-Oriented Language, or COBOL, is a computer programming language that was among the first to be used by the programming community. In a Conference of the Data System Languages in 1959, this language was constricted with the goals of portability and readability for its users. The U.S. government wanted an established language for programmers to be able to universally use. https://www.britannica.com/technology/COBOL -
The Computer Mouse Is Invented
The computer mouse is an addition made to a computer that allows the user to move a cursor on a graphical screen and click to select items using electromechanical technology. The mouse has a light-emitting diode that allows the mouse to find a surface to interact to in order to correspond with the mouse's movement relative from the screen to the detected movement of the device. https://www.britannica.com/technology/mouse-computer-device -
Floppy Disk in Invented
The floppy disk was designed to support the high demand for file transfer in the 1970s-1990s. This disk was made of a malleable plastic that was coated in a magnetic material and finally enclosed in a plastic square casing. Once a floppy disk was inserted into a computer, the magnetic surface of the disk would interact with the magnetic piece in the computer to read and write additional data. The floppy disk is also known as the diskette. https://www.britannica.com/technology/floppy-disk -
Ethernet Is Invented
Ethernet is a networking technology that is used for local systems. This form of the network was created by a research team teamed up with the company Xerox at Palo Alto Research Center in California. The original idea for this project was to design a technology that could connect computers over long distances. Ethernet was created as a cable or card that connects different devices to one another to improve user performance. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Ethernet -
The Apple II Computer Is Invented
The Apple II Computer was made by Apple in 1977. This computer had adjustable RAMs that could be used depending on what the user wanted/needed. This computer initially was offered to be used with external storage on a cassette tape, but the floppy disk was used instead. One important feature that this PC had was the eight expansion slots that were included on the motherboard for any additional attachments to be added for improved performance. https://history-computer.com/apple-ii-guide/ -
The TRS 80 Is Invented
The TRS 80 was invented by a company called Radio Shack in the late 70s. This device had accomplished something that no other computer had been able to successfully do before: create a simple yet powerful computer that would be easy to construct at home with little to no previous technical knowledge. This computer also had a very basic setup and used computer language that would be able to be universally understood. http://www.trs-80.org/model-1/ -
IBM PC Is Invented
The IBM computer was invented in the 1970s, but the personal computer form was released later in August 1981. This computer was done by a small team of smart (but apparently somewhat unruly) people, and the goal of this computer was to make it as small but powerful as it could possibly be while still fulfilling the idea of being portable for users who wanted to be able to use a computer when they needed to travel someplace. https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/pc25/pc25_birth.html -
Microsoft Windows is Invented
Microsoft Windows is an operating system that featured the first graphical user interface, and being ahead of its time on its release in 1985, approximately 90 percent of all computers were made and run on Windows. Windows also had the first computer mouse to be used rather than commands that needed to be typed, and it had the first navigational desktop for DOS users. The impact of this OS series is still being seen today. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Microsoft-Windows -
Mac OS X is founded
The Mac OS X is a redesign of the previous Mac OS, and it was introduced in 2001. This new operating system was also an upgrade to the NextStep system. OS X ran on a UNIX kernel, which in other words is a form of core software code. This simple form of code allowed computers to multitask, have expansive internet access, and have the search engine be more powerful and compatible than anything before it. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Mac-OS#ref1017204 -
First Iphone is Invented
The first iPhone was in development for more than two years and was finally released in 2007. This was the first smartphone device that had access to Mac OS X. The addition that the iPhone brought to the technology industry that made it as ground-breaking as it was at the time was the use of a touch-sensitive screen with an engaging and user-friendly interface. This allowed iPhone users to have more control over programs and applications. https://www.britannica.com/technology/iPhone -
Chromebook is Invented
The Chromebook was developed by Google, teamed with Acer and Samsung. This computer, along with the rest of the series of Chromebooks that were to follow, introduced new features to computers that hadn't been seen before, specifically user connection. Some reputable achievements of the Chromebook are the USB-C compatibility, scale 3:2 touchscreens, and the Titan C security chip. https://blog.google/products/chromebooks/chromebook-turns-10/ -
DARPA's Molecular Informatics Exploration Begins
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency started its mission to explore molecular informatics. DARPA wanted to find a new and better alternative to the processing and storage of data. Instead of using the old method of binary, scientists under this agency wanted to examine particles and molecules to see if they could manipulate them to hold, make, and/or copy data at their own will. The scientists settled on using bases of DNA for storage. https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2017-03-23