Old pc

The Evolution of Technology

By 956010560

  • Joseph Marie Jacquard Loom

    Joseph Marie Jacquard Loom
    In France, Joseph Marie Jacquard invents a loom that uses punched wooden cards to automatically weave fabric designs. Early computers would use similar punch cards.

  • Herman Hollerith

    Herman Hollerith
    Herman Hollerith designs a punch card system to calculate the 1880 census, accomplishing the task in just three years and saving the government $5 million. He establishes a company that would ultimately become IBM.

  • Alan Turing

    Alan Turing
    Alan Turing presents the notion of a universal machine, later called the Turing machine, capable of computing anything that is computable. The central concept of the modern computer was based on his ideas.

  • J.V Atanasoff

    J.V Atanasoff
    J.V. Atanasoff, a professor of physics and mathematics at Iowa State University, attempts to build the first computer without gears, cams, belts or shafts.

  • J.V Atanasoff and Clifford Berry

    J.V Atanasoff and Clifford Berry
    Atanasoff and his graduate student, Clifford Berry, design a computer that can solve 29 equations simultaneously. This marks the first time a computer is able to store information on its main memory.

  • William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain

    William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain
    William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain of Bell Laboratories invent the transistor. They discovered how to make an electric switch with solid materials and no need for a vacuum.

  • Grace Hopper

    Grace Hopper
    Grace Hopper develops the first computer language, which eventually becomes known as COBOL. Thomas Johnson Watson Jr., son of IBM CEO Thomas Johnson Watson Sr., conceives the IBM 701 EDPM to help the United Nations keep tabs on Korea during the war.

  • Alan Shuqart

    Alan Shuqart
    Alan Shugart leads a team of IBM engineers who invent the "floppy disk," allowing data to be shared among computers.

  • Robert Metcalfe

    Robert Metcalfe
    Robert Metcalfe, a member of the research staff for Xerox, develops Ethernet for connecting multiple computers and other hardware.

  • Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak

    Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
    Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak start Apple Computers on April Fool's Day and roll out the Apple I, the first computer with a single-circuit board, according to Stanford University.

  • VisiCalc

    VisiCalc
    Accountants rejoice at the introduction of VisiCalc, the first computerized spreadsheet program.

  • Microsoft's IBM

    Microsoft's IBM
    The first IBM personal computer, code-named "Acorn," is introduced. It uses Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system. It has an Intel chip, two floppy disks and an optional color monitor. Sears & Roebuck and Computerland sell the machines, marking the first time a computer is available through outside distributors. It also popularizes the term PC.

  • Microsoft Windows

    Microsoft Windows
    Microsoft announces Windows, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. This was the company's response to Apple's GUI. Commodore unveils the Amiga 1000, which features advanced audio and video capabilities.

  • Wi-Fi

    Wi-Fi
    The term Wi-Fi becomes part of the computing language and users begin connecting to the Internet without wires.

  • YouTube

    YouTube
    YouTube, a video sharing service, is founded. Google acquires Android, a Linux-based mobile phone operating system.