Computer history

"Who invented the computer?" is not a question with a simple answer. The real answer is that many inventors contributed to the history of computers and that a computer is a complex piece of machinery made up of many parts, each of which can be considered a separate invention.

This series covers many of the major milestones in computer history (but not all of them) with a concentration on the history of personal home computers.


Computer History
Year/Enter Computer History
Inventors/Inventions Computer History
Description of Event

1936
Konrad Zuse -
Z1 Computer
First freely programmable computer.
1942
John Atanasoff & Clifford Berry
ABC Computer
Who was first in the computing biz is not always as easy as ABC.
1944
Howard Aiken & Grace Hopper
Harvard Mark I Computer
The Harvard Mark 1 computer.
1946
John Presper Eckert & John W. Mauchly
ENIAC 1 Computer
20,000 vacuum tubes later...
1948
Frederic Williams & Tom Kilburn
Manchester Baby Computer & The Williams Tube
Baby and the Williams Tube turn on the memories.
1947/48
John Bardeen, Walter Brattain & Wiliam Shockley
The Transistor
No, a transistor is not a computer, but this invention greatly affected the history of computers.
1951
John Presper Eckert & John W. Mauchly
UNIVAC Computer
First commercial computer & able to pick presidential winners.
1953
International Business Machines
IBM 701 EDPM Computer
IBM enters into 'The History of Computers'.
1954
John Backus & IBM
FORTRAN Computer Programming Language
The first successful high level programming language.

1955
(In Use 1959)
Stanford Research Institute, Bank of America, and General Electric
ERMA and MICR The first bank industry computer - also MICR (magnetic ink character recognition) for reading checks.
1958
Jack Kilby & Robert Noyce
The Integrated Circuit
Otherwise known as 'The Chip'
1962
Steve Russell & MIT
Spacewar Computer Game
The first computer game invented.
1964
Douglas Engelbart
Computer Mouse & Windows
Nicknamed the mouse because the tail came out the end.
1969
ARPAnet
The original Internet.
1970
Intel 1103 Computer Memory The world's first available dynamic RAM chip.
1971
Faggin, Hoff & Mazor
Intel 4004 Computer Microprocessor
The first microprocessor.
1971
Alan Shugart &IBM
The "Floppy" Disk
Nicknamed the "Floppy" for its flexibility.
1973
Robert Metcalfe & Xerox
The Ethernet Computer Networking
Networking.
1974/75
Scelbi & Mark-8
Altair & IBM 5100 Computers
The first consumer computers.
1976/77
Apple I, II & TRS-80 & Commodore Pet Computers
More first consumer computers.
1978
Dan Bricklin & Bob Frankston
VisiCalc Spreadsheet Software
Any product that pays for itself in two weeks is a surefire winner.
1979
Seymour Rubenstein & Rob Barnaby
WordStar Software
Word Processors.
1981
IBM
The IBM PC - Home Computer
From an "Acorn" grows a personal computer revolution
1981
Microsoft
MS-DOS Computer Operating System
From "Quick And Dirty" comes the operating system of the century.
1983
Apple Lisa Computer
The first home computer with a GUI, graphical user interface.
1984
Apple Macintosh Computer
The more affordable home computer with a GUI.
1985
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft begins the friendly war with Apple.