Milestones in Computer History: A Timeline Flashcards
Dr. John V. Atanasoff and Clifford Berry create the first electronic digital computer, the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC).
1937
British scientist Alan Turing designs the Colossus, a secret electronic computer for code-breaking during World War II.
1943
John von Neumann’s computer prototype at the Institute for Advanced Study serves as the basis for stored-program computers.
1945
Dr. John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert, Jr. complete the ENIAC, the first large-scale electronic digital computer.
1946
William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain invent the transistor, a reliable alternative to vacuum tubes.
1947
The UNIVAC I, the first commercially available electronic digital computer, is introduced by Remington Rand.
1951
The IBM 305 RAMAC computer, developed by IBM, is the first to use magnetic disk storage.
1957
FORTRAN, an efficient programming language, is introduced by John Backus.
1957
Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments invents the integrated circuit, marking the second generation of computers.
1958
COBOL, a high-level business language, is developed by a committee headed by Dr. Grace Hopper.
1960
Douglas Engelbart demonstrates a computer prototype with a mouse and graphical user interface (GUI).
1964
Dr. John Kemeny of Dartmouth leads the development of the BASIC programming language.
1965
Dr. Edsger Dijkstra introduces structured programming standards.
1968
Alan Shugart at IBM demonstrates the first regular use of an 8-inch floppy disk.
1968
The ARPANET network is established, eventually growing to become the Internet.
1969
Fourth-generation computers, built with LSI (large-scale integration) chips, arrive.
1970
Dr. Ted Hoff of Intel Corporation develops the microprocessor, Intel 4004.
1971
MITS, Inc., founded by Ed Roberts, advertises the Altair, one of the first microcomputers.
1975
Ethernet, a network technology, is developed at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center).
1975
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak build the first Apple computer.
1976
VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet program, is written by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston.
1979
IBM approaches Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates to develop MS-DOS, the operating system for the IBM PC.
1980
Alan Shugart presents the Winchester hard disk, revolutionizing storage for personal computers.
1980
The IBM PC is introduced, becoming a business standard.
1981
Elk Cloner, the first computer virus, spreads via Apple II floppy disks.
1981
TIME magazine names the computer “Machine of the Year” for its impact on society.
1983