The Evolution Of Computers and Information Technology

Overview of some of the historical developments in information technology from Clay Tablets, the first dawn of the Printing Press up to the presumed singularity future.

Just a tidbit before we begin, it took the telephone 40 years to reach 10 million customers, and fax machines 20 years. Personal Computers, on the other hand, made it to that numbers in as fast as 5 years in every American home. Email took a year to reach 10 million users when first introduced in 1981.

Facts and Figures on entries (following) doesn’t guarantee sharp accuracy to to numbers, events, persons – so bring with you your grain of salt while reading on.

YEAR: 1944

Mark I Computer

Mark I was designed in 1937 by a Harvard graduate student, Howard H. Aiken to solve advanced mathematical physics problems encountered in his research. Aiken’s ambitious proposal envisioned the use of modified, commercially-available technologies coordinated by a central control system. Supported by Harvard faculty in the division that is today the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Aiken discussed his idea with several... Discover More »

YEAR: 1944

Top_Gadget_Info_The-Evolution-of-Computers-Stored-Data

YEAR: 1945

Concept of Stored Data

Stored-program concept, Storage of instructions in computer memory to enable it to perform a variety of tasks in sequence or intermittently. The idea was introduced in the late 1940s by John von Neumann, who proposed that a program be electronically stored in binary-number format in a memory device so that instructions could be modified by the computer as determined by intermediate... Discover More »

YEAR: 1945

Top_Gadget_Info_The-Evolution-of-Computers-ENIAC-1

YEAR: 1946

First Programmable Computer (ENIAC)

In 1942, physicist John Mauchly proposed an all-electronic calculating machine. The U.S. Army, meanwhile, needed to calculate complex wartime ballistics tables. Proposal met patron. The result was ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer), built between 1943 and 1945—the first large-scale computer to run at electronic speed without being slowed by any mechanical parts. For a decade, until a 1955... Discover More »

YEAR: 1946

Top_Gadget_Info_The-Evolution-of-Computers-First-Transitor

YEAR: 1947

Invention of Transistors

The invention of transistors enabled miniaturization of electronic devices. The crucial component of an electronic device is a controllable valve that lets a weak signal control a much larger flow much as a faucet controls the flow of water. At one time the controllable valve used in electronic circuits was the vacuum tube. The vacuum tube worked but it was bulky and used a lot of electrical power that ended up as heat which shortened... Discover More »

YEAR: 1947

Top_Gadget_Info_The-Evolution-of-Computers-UNIVAC

YEAR: 1947

Computers Sold Commercially (UNIVAC)

On June 14, 1951, the U.S. Census Bureau dedicates UNIVAC, the world’s first commercially produced electronic digital computer. UNIVAC, which stood for Universal Automatic Computer, was developed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, makers of ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic digital computer. These giant computers, which used thousands of vacuum tubes for computation, were the forerunners of today’s digital computers... Discover More »

YEAR: 1947

Top_Gadget_Info_The-Evolution-of-Computers-First-Integrated-Circuit

YEAR: 1958

Integrated Circuit Invented

Texas Instruments is celebrating the North Texas man who made the integrated circuit – the microchip — possible. On Sept. 12, 1958, Jack Kilby, a TI engineer, invented the integrated circuit. It would revolutionize the electronics industry, helping make cell phones and computers widespread today. To honor him, Texas Instruments held its first Jack Kilby Day on Friday, Sept. 12, 2014. It didn’t take long for Kilby to make his mark at TI. Just months... Discover More »

YEAR: 1958

Top_Gadget_Info_The-Evolution-of-Computers-First-Computer-Game

YEAR: 1962

First Computer Game Invented

It was in 1962 when a young computer programmer from MIT named Steve Russell, fueled with inspiration from the writings of E. E. "Doc" Smith, led the team that created the first popular computer game. Starwar was almost the first computer game ever written. However, there were at least two far-lesser-known predecessors: OXO (1952) and Tennis for Two (1958). It took the team about 200... Discover More »

YEAR: 1962

Top_Gadget_Info_The-Evolution-of-Computers-The-ARPANET

YEAR: 1969

ARPANET and the Internet

ARPANET established by US Advanced Research Projects Agency led to the creation of the Internet. To find a solution to this frustrating problem, Roberts and his staff established a specific group of researchers – most of them still graduate students – to develop the host-to-host software. The group was initially called the Network Working Group (NWG) and was led by a UCLA graduate student... Discover More »

YEAR: 1969

YEAR: 1970

Floppy Disk

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, floppy disks were born as a new form of storage medium consisting of a magnetic disk enclosed in a piece of flimsy fabric and later encased in plastic for durability. For 40 years, the “floppy” reigned as the primary and most reliable form of data storage. As most technologies do, the floppy disc began large (8-inches) and got smaller as the years passed by and technology improved. Before... Discover More »

YEAR: 1970

YEAR: 1972

First Video Game

Pong is a table tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics, manufactured by Atari and originally released in 1972. It was one of the earliest arcade video games and created by Allan Alcorn as a training exercise assigned to him by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell. Bushnell based the game's concept on an electronic ping-pong game included in the Magnavox Odyssey, the first home video game console. In response, Magnavox... Discover More »

YEAR: 1972

Top_Gadget_Info_The-Evolution-of-Computers-Altair-8800

YEAR: 1975

First Micro-Computer (Altair 8800)

Not long after Intel introduced its 8080 chip, a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced a computer kit called the Altair, which met the social as well as technical requirements for a small personal computer. MITS succeeded where other, more established firms had failed, and it was their machine that inaugurated the personal computer age. MITS got its start in computing in.... Discover More »

YEAR: 1975

YEAR: 1976

Apple I Computer

On December 11, the only known surviving Apple I computer personally sold by Steve Jobs — out of his parents’ garage in 1976 — will be offered at auction. The auctioneer, Christie’s, estimates a sale price of between $400,000 and $600,000 — but just last week, the Henry Ford Museum bought a similar Apple I at auction for $905,000, and that particular computer lacked documentation tying it directly to Steve Jobs. We wouldn’t be... Discover More »

YEAR: 1976

Top Gadget Info The Evolution of Computers First Mouse

YEAR: 1981

Mouse Become Part of Every PC

1981: The first integrated mouse intended for use with a personal computer makes its appearance with the Xerox Star workstation. The name "mouse" derived from the device's rounded shape and tail-like cord extending from it, suggesting the diminutive rodent. The first mouse, an experimental pointing device, was invented in 1964 by Douglas Englebart, who was then working at the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, California... Discover More »

YEAR: 1981