Computer History

  • Logs

    John Napier invented logs in 1614. Logs allow multiplication and division to be reduced to addition and subtraction.
  • First Mechanical Calculator

    Wilhelm Schickard, a professor at University of Tubingen, builds the first mechanical calculator in 1623. It can work with six digits, and carries digits across columns.
  • The Antikythera mechanism

    The Antikythera mechanism was used for registering and predicting the motion of the stars and planets and was discovered off the coast of Greece in 1901.
  • General Purpose Programmable Calculator

    Konrad Zuse invents the first general use programmable calculator. It pioneers the use of binary math and boolean logic in electronic calculation.
  • Integrated Circuit

    Texas Instruments and Fairchild semiconductor both invented the integrated circuit in 1959.
  • Distributed packet switching networks

    Paul Baran of RAND developed the idea ofdistriguted packet switching networks
  • IBM 360

    The IBM 360 was introduced and rapidly became the standard institutional mainframe computer.
  • Word Processor

    Doug Engelbart develops a word processor, an early hypertext system and a collaborative application.
  • ARPANET

    ARPANET goes online.
  • 4 bit miroprocessor

    Intel prduces a 4 bit microprocessor and 2 years later an 8 bit microprocessor was produced.
  • Traf-O-Data

    Bill Gates and Paul Allen created Traf-O-Data to sell their computer traffic-analysis systems
  • Apple Macintosh

    Apple Macintosh is introduced and has features like a simple, graphical interface, uses the 8-MHz, 32-bit Motorola 68000 CPU, and has a built-in 9-inch black and white screen.
  • Microsoft

    Microsoft Windows 1.0 shipped.
  • World Wide Web

    The World Wide Web has a growth rate of 341,634% in service traffic in its third year.