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Period
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History of Computers
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3000 BC
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The abacus is invented in Babylonia
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80 AD
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The Antikythera Device, a bronze mechanical lunar month calculator, is constructed in Greece
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1622
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William Oughtred invents the slide rule. This first one was circular.
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1623
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Wilhelm Schickard designs the first known mechanical calculator, the "Calculating Clock" to multiply large numbers.
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1642
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Blaise Pascal invents an adding machine which he calls the Pascaline. It could perform addition and subtraction, but it was too expensive to be practical and only Pascal could keep it working
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1666
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Samuel Morland builds a mechanical calculator that will add and subtract
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1674
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Gottfried Leibnez, the man to blame for the invention of calculus, uses a stepped cylindrical gear to build his "Stepped Reckoner" which will both add and multiply
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1679
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Leibniz introduces binary mathematics
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1774
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Phillip-Malthus Hahn builds and sells a small number of calculating machines which are accurate to 12 digits
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1777
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The third Earl of Stanhope invents a multiplying calculator
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1803-4
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Joseph-Marie Jacquard invents an automated loom which uses punched cards to reproduce complex patterns.
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1820
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The first mass-produced calculating machine, Thomas de Colmar's Arithmometer, is marketed and continues in use for many years.
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1822
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Charles Babbage begins work on the Difference Engine
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1829
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The first typewriter is patented by William Austin Burt. It's slow and clumsy, but it's the first writing machine.
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1831
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The telegraph is invented
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1832
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Babbage completes a portion of his Difference Engine
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1834
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Babbage begins work on the Analytical Engine
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1840
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Lord Byron's daughter, Ada, Countess of Lovelace, suggests to Babbage that he use the binary system. She writes programs for his analytical engine, becoming the world's first programmer
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1843
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Ada translates Luigi Menabrea's theories of the analytical engine and adds her own commentary
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1853
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Scheutz invents the first printing calculator
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1850's
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George Boole develops Boolean Logic which will one day become the basis for computer logic.
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1882
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William S. Burroughs quits his job as a bank clerk and sets out to invent a reliable adding machine.
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1890
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Dr. Herman Hollerith introduces the first electro-mechanical punched-card data processing machine. It is used to compile information from the 1890 US census.
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1892
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Burroughs produces the first adding machine with a printer
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1899
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Magnetic recording is invented.
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1901
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Hollerith starts his own company, the Tabulating Machine Company, to market his data processing machines.
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1906
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William DeForest invents the vacuum tube
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1917
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Aberdeen Proving Grounds begins computing ballistics tables
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1919
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Two American physicists, Eccles and Jordan, invent the flip-flop circuit which will be necessary for high-speed electronic calculating.
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1928
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IBM adopts the 80 column punched card - used for the next 50 years
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Teletypewriters and teleprinters come into limited use in Britain, Germany and the US
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1930
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Vannevar Bush builds the differential analyzer at M.I.T.
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1934
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The Moore School differential analyzer is completed
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1935
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IBM introduces the electric typewriter
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1936
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Konrad Zuse applies for a patent on his mechanical memory
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Alan Turing publishes On Computable Numbers which lays a theoretical foundation for computer principles
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1937
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George Stibitz builds his model K, which demonstrates the feasibility of mechanizing binary math
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1938
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Konrad Zuse completes his Z1 calculating machine
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1939
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John Atanasoff begins work on his ABC computer
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Howard Aiken begins work on the Harvard Mark 1 with funding from IBM
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1940
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Zuse introduces his Z1, the first programmable calculating machine to use the binary system. It is used to solve complex engineering equations
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Bell Labs' George Stibitz and Samuel Williams complete the Complex Number Computer, later known as the Bell Labs Model 1.
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Stibittz later demonstrates the Model 1 at Dartmouth College with a terminal in New Hampshire and the Model 1 in New York
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1941
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Zuse completes his Z3, the first program-controlled electromechanical digital computer.
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In Britain, Alan Turing, M.H.A. Newman and Tommy Flowers complete work on the Colossus, the first all-electronic calculating machine. It is used during WWII to break German codes.
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1942
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John Mauchly and J.Presper Eckert propose a digital electronic version of Vannevar Bush's differential analyzer.
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1943
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Howard Aiken and staff at IBM's Endicott Labs complete the Harvard Mark 1, an automatic digital sequence-controlled computer.
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The US government funds Mauchly and Eckert and work begins on the ENIAC (Electrical Numerical Integrator and Calculator)
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In Britain, the Colossus computer is completed and set to work breaking German codes
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Project Whirlwind, an analog flight simulator, is begun at M.I.T.
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1944
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The first tests of ENIAC. The US government extends funding to cover research on the EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Computer), a stored program computer.
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The Harvard Mark I, designed and built by Howard Aiken and his team of engineers, becomes operational.
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1945
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The ENIAC is up and running.
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Zuse completes his Z4
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The first computer "bug" is found in the Harvard Mark I by Grace Murray Hopper. It is a moth which got into one of the relays and caused it to fail.
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Vannevar Bush's prophetic essay, As We May Think, is published in the Atlantic Monthly.
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1946
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The public gets its first glimpse of the ENIAC in Philadelphia on Valentines Day
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Herman (CPL Irwin?) Goldstine invents flowcharts
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1947
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The transistor is invented by William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain at Bell Labs
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Howard Aiken and his team finish work on the Harvard Mark II
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The ENIAC is moved to Aberdeen Proving Grounds
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Maurice V. Wilkes begins work on the EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer) at Cambridge University
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1948
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The Manchester Mark 1 is operational
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IBM unveils the SSEC, the Selective Sequence Electronic Calculator
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Shockley, Bardeen and Bratain patent the transistor
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1949
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The EDSAC is completed
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Eckert & Mauchly's company completes the BINAC computer for Northrup Aviation
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An Wang develops magnetic core memory
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The Whirlwind computer, the first real-time computer, is developed by Jay Forrester and his team at MIT
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J.Lyons and Company, a British catering firm develops the first business computer, the LEO (Lyons Electronic Office), as a result of research which they funded at Cambridge
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1950
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Turing completes the ACE, considered by many to be the first programmable digital computer, at Britain's National Physics Laboratory
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Turing publishes his Touring Test for determining machine intelligence
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Assembly language developed
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Other computers of 1950:
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UNIVAC 1101
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ADVIAC
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IBM 607
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SEAC (National Bureau of Standards)
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1951
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William Shockley invents the junction transistor. Reverse-engineered alien technology from Roswell? Inquiring minds want to know.
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The first UNIVAC 1 computer, developed under the leadership of Grace Murray Hopper, is delivered to the US Census Bureau
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Jay Forrester files a patent for matrix core memory.
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The Whirlwind computer begins operations at M.I.T
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IEEE Computer Society founded
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A British catering firm, Lyons & Company, develops the first business computer, the Lyons Electronic Office (LEO) , based on research which they funded at Cambridge University. David Caminer becomes the world's first corporate systems analyst.
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Other Computers of 1951:
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Fairchild Computer
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General Electric 100 ERMA
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NBS SWAC (Sealed With A Kiss?)
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Burroughs Lab Calculator
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1952
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Jay Forester develops magnetic memory at M.I.T.
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The EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) is completed at Moore School by Mauchly, Eckert and Von Neumann
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Grace Murray Hopper develops A-O, the first program compiler
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A Univac I computer accurately predicts the outcome of the US presidential election, bringing computers to the attention of the general public,
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The IAN computer begins operation at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princton Univ.
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A core memory module is added to the ENIAC
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Other Computers of 1952:
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ORDVAC
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EDVAC
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ILLIAC (Univ. of Illinois)
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And of course, someone had to come up with the MANIAC
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Harvard Mark IV
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Elcom 100
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IAS
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National 102
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IBM 701
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1953
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Sperry Rand buys the patents to the UNIVAC and begins to market the UNIVAC 1103
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The IBM 650, aka the Magnetic Drum Calculator, is introduced. It is the first mass-produced computer
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Computers of 1953:
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MIT Whirlwind II
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NCR 107
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IBM 604
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IBM 701
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UNIVAC 1102
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RAYDAK
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ALWAC II
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OARAC
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MINIAC
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And the minimally named FLAC
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1954
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Gordon Teal develops transistors based on silicon
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Texas Instruments begins commercial production of transistors
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Other computers of `1954:
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The acronyms start to get a little silly...
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JOHNNIAC (Rand)
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DYSEAC
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ORDFIAC
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LEPRECHAUN (Bell Labs)
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Mellon Institute Digital Computer
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Circle
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Electro Data Datatron
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MODAC 404
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WISC
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TIM II
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1955
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The ENIAC computer is decommissioned and shut down.
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Other computers of 1955:
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Monorobot III
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IBM 702
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RCA BIZMAC
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NORC
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Technitral 180
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PENNSTAC
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MIDAC
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ALWAC III E
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Elcom 125
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1956
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IBM builds the first hard drive. It contains fifty 24 inch disks, has a capacity of 5 MB and costs over US$1,000,000
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The Nobel Prize in physics is awarded to John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley for their work on the transistor.
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The first transistorized computer, the TX-O (Transistorized Experimental computer), is completed at M.I.T.
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1957
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IBM introduces RAMAC, a memory storage device based on rotating disks. It is the first hard disk storage.
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The FORTRAN programmming language is developed by John Backus, an engineer at IBM.
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The Atlas Guidance Computer, one of the first transistor computers, is used to control the launch of the Atlas missile.
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The Musasino-1 computer is developed by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Company. It is based on the principles of parametric excitation developed by Eiji Goto in 1954. A command in Basic programming will later be named after him.
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1958
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Commercial transistor computers make their first appearance
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The UNIVAC Solid State 80 and the Philco S-2000 are introduced, beginning the second generation of electronic computers
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The ALGOL 58 programing language is developed
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Jack StClair Kilby and Robert Noyce of Texas Instruments develop the first integrated circuit (IC) or chip, which is a collection of miniature transistors
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1959
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This year marks the beginning of the second generation of computers - those which use transistors rather than tubes
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IBM announces the IBM 1401 computer
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RCA introduces the 501 computer. It is supplied with the new COBOL (COmmon Business Oriented Language) programming language
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The Harvard Mark 1 is shut down
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Both Fairchild Semiconductor and Texas Instruments announce the independent development of the integrated circuit (IC)
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Fairchild Semiconductor files a patent for the planar process for manufacturing transistors which makes commercial production of transistors possible.
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Robert Noyce of Fairchild builds an integrated circuit based on silicon, with metal conductors, transistors and resistors
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John McCarthy develops the programming language LISP
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Japan's NEC Corporation introduces their first commercial transistor computer, the NEAC 2201
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Xerox introduces the first commercial copy machine
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General Electric introduces the GE ERMA, the first machine to process checks encoded with magnetic ink characters
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1960
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IBM introduces the IBM 360, developed by Gene Amdahl
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Ken Olsen, founder of DEC, introduces the PDP-1, the first computer with a keyboard and a monitor. It is priced at US$120,000
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DEC introduces the PDP-8, the first mass produced minicomputer at the unheard-of low price of $20.0000
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The Algol 60 programming language is developed
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Remington Rand introduces the Livermore Advanced Research Computer (LARC) for use in scientific research. It uses 60,000 transistors
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1961
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Fairchild releases the first commercially produced integrated circuit.
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MIT's Fernando Corbato develops a way for computer users to share computer time
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The first robotic manufacturing device is patented by Georg C. Devol. It is used to automate manufacturing TV tubes.
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IBM unveils the 7030 computer which is 30 times faster than its predecessor, the 704. The race for speed and power is on.
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1962
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Ivan Sutherland creates a graphics system called Sketchpad.
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Teletype introduces its Model 33 keyboard and punched-tape terminal which is used for input-output on early microcomputers
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IBM introduces magnetic disk storage for computers
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The first video game is developed by grad student Steve Russell at MIT
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The Atlas, the world's most powerful computer, is launched in Britain.
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Joseph Weizenbaum develops Eliza, a computer program that simulates the responses of a psychiatrist.
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1963
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Douglas Engelbart receives a patent on the mouse pointing device for computers
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Lofti Zadeh begins work on fuzzy logic at UC Berkeley
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1964
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Douglas Englebart develops a working mouse.
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Gordon Moore suggests that integrated circuits would double in complexity every year. This later becomes known as Moore's Law.
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The programming language, Basic (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code), is developed by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz at Dartmouth College
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IBM's SABRE airline reservation system is implemented
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Control Data Corporation introduces the first supercomputer, the CDC6600, developed by Seymour Cray.
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First fully automated, computer-controlled factory is inaugurated by Sara Lee
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1965
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DEC introduces the PDP-8, the first mini-computer. It is priced at the then-unheard of bargain price of US$18,500
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1966
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Steven Gray founds the Amateur Computer Society, and begins publishing the ACS Newsletter. This is considered by some to be the birthdate of personal computing
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IBM introduces the first disk storage system, the IBM RAMAC 305. It holds 5 MB of data on 50 2-foot wide platters.
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1967
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The change from magnetic core memory to semiconductor memory begins
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The LOGO programming language is developed
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IBM develops the first floppy disk
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Jack Kilby, John Merryman and James VanTassel develop the first four-function hand-held calculator
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1968
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Douglas Engelbart, of the Stanford Research Institute, demonstrates his system of keyboard, keypad, mouse, and windows at the Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco
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1969
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Dennis Ritchie and Kenneth Thompson begin work on the UNIX operating system at Bell Labs
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Intel announces a 1 KB RAM chip, which has a significantly larger capacity than any previously produced memory chip.
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William Gates and Paul Allen, calling themselves the "Lakeside Programming Group" sign an agreement with Computer Center Corporation to report bugs in PDP-10 software, in exchange for computer time.
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At Xerox's research facility in Webster, New York, Gary Starkweather demonstrates the use of a laser beam with the xerography process to create a laser printer
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1970
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Bell Labs introduces UNIX
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The first Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) is installed
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Gilbert Hyatt files the first basic patent on the microprocessor
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The floppy disk is introduced.
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The daisywheel printer is introduced
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1971
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The first mass-produced microprocessor, the Intel 4004 processor, developed by Ted Hoff, is introduced. It can process four bits of data simultaneously at a rate 60,000 instructions per second and has its own arithmetic logic unit
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Nolan Bushnell invents the videogame "Pong". It is wildly popular and makes him, in addition to a lot of money, the father of videogames,
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The Kenback Corporation releases the Kenback-1, the first microcomputer kit, designed by John V. Blankenbaker.
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Intel creates the 1103 chip, the first generally available DRAM memory chip
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Nicklaus Wirth develops PASCAL, a structured programming language
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The programming language FORTH is developed
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Texas Instruments produces the first pocket calculator
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1972
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The Intel 8008 processor is introduced
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The C programming language is developed at Bell Labs by Dennis Ritchie. It is called C because the previous version was called B. Real creative guys, those programmers...
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Hand-held calculators become popular, rendering the slide rule instantly obsolete.
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Xerox Parc's Learning Research Group develops the Smalltalk programming language.
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Alain Colmerauer develops the Porlog language at University of Marseilles
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DEC introduces the PDP 11/45
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Wang introduces a word processing system
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Liquid-crystal displays are introduced
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1973
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Steve Wozniak begins to build "Blue Boxes", tone generators to make free long-distance calls, and sells them in his dorm at Berkeley
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Xerox Parc develops an experimental computer called Alto that uses Douglas Englebart's new mouse and features a Graphical User Interface. Unfortunately, they see no future in the personal computer.
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Alan Kay also develops a forerunner of the PC that he calls an "office computer".
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A federal judges invalidates Eckert and Mauchly's ENIAC patent and recognizes John V. Atanasoff as the inventor of the modern electronic computer.
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1974
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The Intel 8080 processor is introduced - it becomes the basis for the first personal computers
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Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniak start building computers in the Jobs' family garage.
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An article in Radio Electronics provides plans for building a "personal minicomputer" called the Mark 8.
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A chess-playing computer has its first match in Stockholm
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1975
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Ed Roberts, considered the father of the personal computer, designs the Altair 8800. It is produced by Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS). Introduced in Popular Electronics magazine as a kit for $397, it becomes an overnight success.
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Two young hacker geeks, William Gates and Paul Allen offer to build a BASIC compiler for MITS. This is the start of what will become Microsoft
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Two other young hacker geeks, Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniac build a computer in Steve's parents garage. They call it the Apple.
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The first PC, the Altair 8800, is introduced in kit form and is featured in an article in Popular Electronics magazine. The response for orders is unexpectedly overwhelming.
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The Zilog Z-80 computer is introduced. It has 8500 transistors and a clock speed of 2.5 MMz
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MOS Technologies introduces the 6502 processor, selling for around $25. Jobs and Wozniak use it in the Apple II. It will later be used in the Commodore PET, Commodore 64 and early Atari computers.
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IBM introduces the first laser printer
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Fredrick Brooks publishes the theory that adding more people to a project which is late only makes it later.
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The second personal computer, the IMSAI is introduced. Like the Altair, it lacks both keyboard and monitor and information is entered by switches. Unlike the Altair, it is targeted at businesses rather than hobbyists. The price for the kit is $450.
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1976
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The CRAY 1 supercomputer is introduced
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The next entry into the personal computer market is the SOL, named after the Editor of Popular Electronics magazine.
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Gary Killdall starts Digital Research and introduces the CP/M operating system.
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IBM develops the ink jet printer.
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Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniak design and build the first Apple computers, the Apple 1, in the Jobs' family garage. It's not much more than a circuit board in a wooden box, but they build and sell 200 of them through Paul Terrell's Byte Shop. The price? $666.66
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Stan Veit opens the Computer Mart of New York, the second computer store in the world.
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1977
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The Apple II computer is introduced at a trade show
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The TRS-80 and Commodore computers are introduced at the same show
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1978
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The DEC VAX 11/780 computer is introduced
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The concept of "office automation" is introduced with the WANG VS minicomputer system
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Intel introduces the 8086 chip with 29,000 transistors. Shortly after, they introduce the 8088 chip
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Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston write VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet
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The Wordstar word processing program is introduced for use on CP/M systems. It is later modified to run on DOS systems.
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1979
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Don Bricklin and Bob Franston develop VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet program.
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Motorola introduces the 68000 chip which will be used in Macintosh computers
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Cellular telephones are first tested in Japan and Chicago
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1980
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IBM hires Microsoft to develop an operating system for their proposed personal computer. Gates and company develop MS-DOS and take the first steps on their way to obscene riches.
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By the end of the year, over 120,000 Apple computers have been sold.
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The ADA programming language, named after Ada Byron, Lady Lovelace, is developed by the US Department of Defense.
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Osborne introduces the first "portable" computer, the Osborne 1. It weighs 24 pounds and is the size of a suitcase.
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1981
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IBM introduces their personal computer using an operating system developed by the fledgling Microsoft Corporation
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The first successful portable computer, The Osborne 1, is introduced
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The price of technology is dropping. 256k of RAM can be had for only $1100, and a 5 MB hard disk costs $3000. 300 MB hard disks start at about $15,000
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Apple introduces the ill-fated Lisa computer which lists for nearly $10,000
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Intel introduces the 80286 chip with six times the computing power of the 8086
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Xerox introduces a commercial version of their experimental Alto computer. It is called the Xerox Star.
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Computer chips are first installed in automobiles
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1982
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Sony announces the Compact Disk
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Mitchell Kapor designs Lotus 1-2-3
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The first IBM PC "clone" is produced by Columbia Dara Products.
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Compaq introduces its PC "clone"
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John Warnock develops PostScript
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Two Cray-1 computers are linked together in parallel and prove to be three times as fast as a single Cray-1. This new supercomputer is called the Cray X-MP.
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1983
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Microsoft announces the Windows operating system, a poor imitation of Apple's graphical user interface. It will be two years before the public sees the actual product
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The first "laptop" computer, the TRS-80 Model 100
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IBM introduces the the PC/AT
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Michael Dell begins building computers in his college dorm room.
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The Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet program is released for the IBM PC
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IBM introduces the PC-XT
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Apple launches the ill-fated Lisa computer.
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1984
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Apple launches the Macintosh with a spectacular presentation at the 1984 Super Bowl games.
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Apple introduces its MacPaint program.
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Motorola introduces the 68020 chip for Apple computers. It features 250,000 transistors on a postage stamp sized chip.
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Microsoft releases DOS 3.0
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Commodore introduces the Amiga
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Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) standards arte developed for interfacing computers with digital music synthesizers.
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Sony and Phillips jointly introduce the CD-ROM
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The movie The Last Starfighter is released. It uses graphics and images generated by a supercomputer.
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Intel introduces its 16 bit 80286 chip which greatly expands the capabilities of PC's
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1985
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Aldus introduces desktop publishing with its PageMaker software
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Intel introduces the 80386 or "386" chip with over 250,000 transistors
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Steve Jobs leaves Apple and starts NeXT Computer
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Microsoft finally releases the Windows operating system.
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Aldus releases Paul Brainard's Pagemaker, the first desktop publishing program.
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1986
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Compaq introduces the DeskPro 386, the first computer to use the 80386 chip
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Microsoft introduces DOS 3.3
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DESQView, TopView and GEM Desktop challenge Mr.Bill's Windows operating system
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Sun introduces its first SPARC RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) CPU
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Intel introduces the 80386 chip
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1987
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Adobe joins the destop publishing fray with Postscript
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IBM introduces the OS/2 operating system
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Microsoft ships Windows 2.0
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1988
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The Year 2000 problem is first mentioned in print
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PERL, a programming language is developed.
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Steve Jobs introduces his new computer, the NeXTcube, with an object-oriented operating system
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1989
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Intel introduces the 80486 chip, the first microprocessor with over 1,000,000 transistors and a built-in math coprocessor
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Microsoft introduces Word for Windows
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Seymour Cray begins to develop the Cray 3.
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1990
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Microsoft ships Windows 3.0, a second-rate, Mac-lookalike operating system.
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Bell Labs demonstrates the first all-optical processor
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Hewlett-Packard and IBM announce RISC-based computers
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Motorola releases the 68040 chip
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Cray introduces the Cray Y-MP C90 with 16 processors and a speed of 16 gigaflops (love that word!)
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1991
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Windows 3.1 appears. It is the first relatively stable Windows operating system
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The JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) graphics compression format is released.
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QuickTime, a video compression format developed by Apple, is released.
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Apple, IBM and Motorola form an alliance to develop and promote the PowerPC platform.
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1992
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There are now about 1000 known computer viruses, up from 5 in 1988
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Linux, a new PC operating system created by
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DEC introduces the first 64 bit RISC Alpha chip
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1993
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Apple, IBM and Motorola announce the availablillity of the Power PC
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DEC introduces the Alpha AXP chip
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Intel announces the Pentium chip which has 3.1 million transistors and is able to perform 112 million instructions per second (MIPS)
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Laptop computers get CD-ROM drives
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The MPEG (what the hell does it stand for?) video compression format is released. This makes it feasible to broadcast video on Web sites.
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The first Geek Code is developed
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The first version of the computer game DOOM is released upon an unsuspecting world of gamers. The world will never be the same again.
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Apple introduces the Newton, the first successful Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). It's not so hot, but it's still better than anything else.
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1994
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IBM releases OS/2 Warp 3.0
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Microsoft releases Windows 95
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1995
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Toy Story is the first full-length feature film to be completely computer generated.
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Sun releases the Java programming language which makes platform-independent programming possible.
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Intel introduces the Pentium Pro chip with 5.5 million transistors.
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1996
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Microsoft introduces its lame version of a browser, Internet Explorer 3.0
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DVD disks
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1997
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Apple releases the Macintosh OS-8 system
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1998
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Apple releases the iMac
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