4000 YEARS AGO 1615 1642 1671 1833 1847 1937
1939 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
MECHANICS PERIOD
4000 YEARS AGO. The Greeks and the Chinese used the Abacus.
The oldest calculating machine.1615. John Napier types the Logarithm Tables.
1642. French Blaise Pascal, creates the first computing machine, using cogwheels. This machine can only add and subtract. It can multiply and divide, using multiple additions and subtractions.
1671. German Baron von Leibnitz, creates a new machine. This one can add, subtract, multiply and divide like a present calculator. It can also calculate the square root of a number.
1833. English Charles Babbage, has the idea of a machine using computer code stored in a memory. He made a new machine using Jacquard cards. This machine works using 4 scales. Input, Processing, Memory and Output. It's memory could store 1,000 words, 50 decimal digits each. This machine is called the Analytical Machine.
1847. George Boole, publishes his book "An Investigation of the Laws of Thought on which are founded the Mathematical Theories of Logic and Probabilities". His thoughts were almost identical to Aristotle's thoughts.
1937. Howard Aiken, from the University of Harvard, suggests IBM to make a similar machine as Charles Babbage's Analytical Machine. When the project finished it is named Mark I and it is used on Mathematics and coordinates' calculations during World War II.
ELECTRONICS PERIOD
1939. John Atanasoff, Mathematics Lector at Iowa State College makes a digital computing machine which uses the binary system. This machine was never activated.
1946. J Presper Eckert, John Mauchly and a team of 50 technicians make another digital computing machine. It's name is ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator) after 3 years of work. It's weight is 30 tons, it uses a power of 140KW, has 18,000 lamps and it can do 357 multiplications per minute. It can be programmed by using 6,000 switches.
After that, they started working on their new project EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer).
John von Neumann makes his own alteration of the EDVAC, IAS.
1947. Frederic Williams, makes a Random Access Memory using a Cathodic Ray Tube. This project is made at the University of Manchester and its known as William's Tube Memory.
1948. IBM creates the SSEC (Scientific Electronic Calculator. It's dimensions are 7.5x12m, it has 12,000 lamps and 21,000 relays.
Norbert Wiener publishes Cybernetics. This book describes Artificial Intelligence and the of computers in our lives.
John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley create the transistor.
1949. Eckert-Mauchly Corporation creates BINAC and Richard Clippinger alters the ENIAC, into a programmable computer.
Thomas J. Watson claims that every part of a computer will become electronic, within a decade.
1950. Engineering Research Associates, creates ERA1101. It can store 1Mbit of data using a magnetic drum.
1951. The construction of IAS finishes. It started in 1946 by John von Neumann.
1952. UNIVAC I is used by CBS News for the National Elections.
1953. IBM creates the first storing device. Using a magnetic tape, you can store 100 characters per inch. The transfer rate is 75 inches per second.
1954. Gene Amdahl creates the first Operating System for IBM704. It's name is CP/M.
IBM defines channel on a 1,115 pages manual.
1955. The total power of all U.S. is combined together 500,000 additions per second.
1956. The word byte is first used.
The 3 inventors of the transistor are honored with the Nobel prize in Physics.
26 Companies use transistors this time.
1957. IBM creates the first dot-matrix printer.
A picture is scanned, processed and depicted on the screen for the first time.
1958. The first plotter is designed.
Allen Newell and Herbert Simon, claim that a machine will win a human on a chess game within 10 years.
Fortran II programming language is created.
John McCarthy creates an Artificial Intelligence programming language, Algol 58.
Dyana, Dynamo and AED programming languages are designed.
Jack Killby creates the first IC (Intergraded Circuit).
1959. Hitachi, NEC and Oki, are the Japanese Computer Manufacturers at this time.
1960. The first Robot is used at a Nuclear Power Plant.
Seymour Gray creates CDC1604, a powerful and cheap computer.
1961. Robert Noyce, publishes the Semiconductor patent.
1962. MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor), is used on Intergraded Circuits.
1963. UNIVAC retires after 73,000 hours of work.
Douglas Engelbart creates the first mouse.
1964. IBM creates the first Word Processor.
Gordon Moore from Fairchild Semiconductors, states that the circuits will multiply every decade.
RCA creates the first CMOS transistor.
1965. Basic programming language is created by Thomas Kurtz and John Kemeny.
There are 80 computer manufacturers and 50 software developments in the U.S.A. now.
Lofti Zadeh thinks of Fuzzy Logic.
1966. Hewlett Packard is another computer manufacturer.
Fortran 66 programming language is used.
1967. Seymour Papert designs LOGO programming language, regarding children rather than adults.
IBM invents Dynamic Memory Cell.
Gene Amdahl thinks of Parallel Processing.
1968. Intel Corporation is founded by Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore and Andrew Grove.
1969. AMD Corporation is founded.
RS-232-C communication standard is first used.
Kenneth Thompson and Dennis Ritchie from AT&T Bell Laboratories, create UNIX Operating System.
The first ATM machines are used on banks.
1970. Bell Laboratories creates the first Laser Semiconductor.
Fiber Optics technology is introduced.
General Electrics creates the first Flight Simulator software for NASA.
1971. Intel 4004 is the first computer-on-a-chip processor. It has 2,250 transistors and it's dimension is 0.42x0.31cm.
IBM has now 269,000 employees.
1972. Intel creates 8008 CPU (Central Processing Unit). The first 8bit processor.
1973. The first Laser Disks are used.
Robert Metcalfe designs Enternet.
1974. Toshiba introduces it's first FDD (Floppy Disk Drive).
John Cooke designs the first RISC computer for IBM.
Intel introduces 8080 CPU. 8bit processing, but 10 times faster than 8008.
Zilog Corporation is founded and introdices Z-80 CPU.
1975. Microsoft Corporation is founded by William Gates and Paul Allen.
Ed Roberts first uses the term PC (Personal Camputer), for Altair 8800.
IBM introduces the first Laptop, IBM5100. It's weight is 25Kg.
1976. Commodore International is founded.
Gray I is the fastest computer on Earth. It can do 167,000,000 calculations per minute.
The first adventure computer game is introduced and called Adventure.
Minifloppy 5,25'' is introduced.
1977. The first computers using Microsoft Basic, stored in a ROM (Random Access Memory), are introduced.
The first hacker, Kevin Mitnik, invades banks.
Commodore International, introduces PET (Personal Electronic Translator). using a 6502 CPU.
1978. Atari introduces Atari400 and 800 series, using a 6502 CPU.
The first Spreadsheet, VisiCalc (Visible Calculator) is introduced to use with Apple II. It was made by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston.
Intel introduces the 8086 CPU. The first 16bit processor.
5,25'' diskettes are a standard.
Epson TX-80 is the first successful dot-matrix printer.
Diablo Systems introduces the Daisy Wheel Printer.
1979. Motorola Corporation introduces the 68000 CPU, while Intel introduces the 8088 CPU.
PC-Man, Space Invarders and Centripede are the most popular computer games.
1980. Microsoft Corporation has now the copyrights of UNIX Operating System.
Apple Systems, introduces Apple III.
1981. Osborne I, is the first computer, that works with a battery too.
Mitch Kapor founds Lotus Development Corporation.
1982. Commodore International, introduces Commodore 64 using a 6510 CPU, 64Kb RAM and 20Kb ROM.
Lotus Introduces Lotus 1-2-3, while Autodesk introduces AutoCAD.
Intel presents the 80286 CPU. Its 10 times faster than the 8086 CPU.
1983. Borland Corporation is founded and introduces Turbo Pascal programming language.
Novell Corporation is founded.
Lotus 1-2-3 is more popular than VisiCalc.
Microsoft Corporation in collaboration with a Japanese group of companies, introduces the MSX standard.
1984. Cirrus Logic Corporation is founded.
Computer Viruses is a fact.
William Gibson uses the term Cyberspace in his book "Neuromancer".
Commodore International buys Amiga Corporation.
Motorola introduces the 68020 CPU.
Apple first uses a GUI (Graphical User Interface), on its Macintosh. Its CPU is the 68000.
1985. Commodore International introduces Amiga 1000.
Aldus presents Pagemaker. A DTP (DeskTop Publishing) software.
Intel introduces the 80386 CPU. Its 50% faster than the 80286.
Microsoft presents Windows. Its first GUI Operating Enviroment.
Philips invents the CD-ROM.
Stephen Wozniak retires from Apple.
Adobe designs the Post Script.
SIMMs (Single InLine Memory Module) are most sold.
Intel introduces the 80786 Graphics Processor.
1986. Compaq presents the PS/2, while Motorola introduces the 68030 CPU.
Apple presents Macintosh SE and Macintosh II.
1988. The first color Laser Printer is introduced.
Motorola introduces the 88000 RISC CPU.
1989. Corel Corporation presents CorelDRAW.
The WWW (World Wide Web) is a fact.
Intel introduces 80486 CPU.
1990. Microsoft Corporation presents Windows 3.0 Operating Enviroment, while IBM uses OS/2 Operating System instead MS-DOS.
Motorola presents the 68040 CPU.
1991. Apple introduces Quicktime for MultiMedia applications.
Insite Corporation presents the Floptical Disk Drive. 20Mb can be stored on a 3.5'' diskette.
Microsoft Corporation upgrades MS-DOS to version 5.0.
AMD Corporation presents the AMD386 CPU.
1992. IBM and Apple present the PowerPC6001 CPU.
Intel designs the Flash Card.
Microsoft Corporation introduces the Windows 3.1 Operating Enviroment.
1993. Intel introduces the Pentium CPU. 3,000,000 transistors, 300MIPS (Million Instructions Per Second), 100Mhz.
25,000,000 users use Microsoft Windows.
1994. Commodore International closes down.
Professor Thomas Nicely, finds a bug on the Pentium CPU, which devided 4,195,835 with 3,145,727 and gives a wrong result. Intel admits it.
Netscape Communications Corporation is founded.
RISC technology, replaces CISC.
1995. Intel introduces the Pentium Pro CPU, while Cyrix presents the 6x86-100 and M1RX-120 CPU.
The most popular viruses are: WORD FOR WINDOWS, MACRO, JERUSALEM, MICHELANGELO, SATAN, and MONKEY.
Microsoft Corporation presents Windows 95 Operating System.
1996. The CPU is 10 times faster every 18-24 months, as Gordon Moore stated back in 1964.
1997. Intel produces the Pentium MMX CPU and introduces Pentium II Klamath.
Steve Jobs returns to Apple.
Palmtops are presented using Microsoft Windows CE Operating System.
DVD-ROMs are first introduced on CeBIT 97.
1998. Cyrix introduces the MII CPU, while Intel presents the Pentium II Xeon CPU.
Microsoft Corporation introduces Windows 98 Operating System.
Electronic Commerce is a fact.
1999. Intel introduces the Pentium III Katmai CPU. It's speed frequency is 500Mhz.
IDE Hard Disk Drives now exceed 20Gb space capability.
Microsoft Corporation introduces Windows 98 Second Edition Operating System.
Y2K (Year 2000) bug is a fact.
