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Univac 1
This was the first commercial computer. It was designed for businesses with utility companies, insurance companies, and US military as major customers. It was created by Presper Eckert & John Mauchly. Weighing in at 29,000 pounds (8' high, 7.5' wide, and 14.5' long), it gained significant public interest in 1952 to predict the US presidential election. While this computer/system was not usable by the general public, it did make them aware of the possibilities presented by computers. -
IBM 650 (Magnetic Drum)
The first mass produced computer, the magnetic data-storage drum allowed for faster access to stored information than previous options. It was popular at universities where the students were learning computer programming. As it was more readily accessible to the public, it introduced more of the public to computers and their use. -
Direct Keyboard Input
MIT researchers began experimenting with direct keyboard input to computers. Previously, users fed their programs into the computer using punch cards or paper tape. Doug Ross was the first to write a memo advocating using an electrically-controlled typewriter connected to an MIT computer. Later that year, an experiment conducted at MIT demonstrated it's usefulness and convenience. This invention was the start of our current input method (keyboards). -
Computer language: FORTRAN
An IBM team lead by John Backus developed FORTRAN. Created for scientific and engineering applications, FORTRAN was also the primary development tool for supercomputers. It is still in use today for computationally intensive tasks like numerical weather prediction, finite element analysis, computational physics, and computational fluid dynamics. -
Integrated Circuit
2 individuals are credited with inventing Integrated Circuits: Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments & Robert Noyce at Fairchild Semiconductor. Integrated Circuits are currently used in a wide array of products from cars to toasters to amusement park rides. They are part of why computers (including cell phones and lap tops) have greatly decreased in size from the original inventions.
