Curated timeline

Computer History

Compute the timeline of calculation, from the Abacus and Babbage's engines to the vacuum tube era, the microchip revolution, personal computing, and the cloud.

• Pascal's Calculator Invented (1642)

  Blaise Pascal invents the Pascaline, the first mechanical calculator capable of performing addition and subtraction.

• Step Reckoner Created (1673)

  Gottfried Leibniz creates the Step Reckoner, capable of multiplication and division using a stepped drum mechanism.

• Jacquard Loom Programming (1801)

  Joseph Marie Jacquard develops the Jacquard loom using punched cards for programming textile patterns.

• Difference Engine Designed (1822)

  Charles Babbage designs the Difference Engine for automatic mathematical calculations using the method of finite differences.

• Analytical Engine Conceived (1837)

  Charles Babbage conceives the Analytical Engine, the first design for a general-purpose computer with CPU and memory.

• First Computer Algorithm (1843)

  Ada Lovelace writes the first computer algorithm for calculating Bernoulli numbers on Babbage's Analytical Engine.

• Hollerith Tabulating Machine (1890)

  Herman Hollerith's tabulating machine uses punched cards to process the US Census data, reducing processing time dramatically.

• Tabulating Machine Company Founded (1896)

  Herman Hollerith founds the Tabulating Machine Company, which later becomes IBM through mergers and acquisitions.

• Vacuum Tube Invented (1906)

  Lee de Forest invents the Audion vacuum tube, enabling electronic amplification crucial for electronic computers.

• Turing Machine Theory (1936)

  Alan Turing publishes 'On Computable Numbers,' establishing the theoretical foundation of computer science and the Turing machine.

• Z3 Computer Completed (1941)

  Konrad Zuse completes the Z3, the first programmable digital computer using binary floating-point arithmetic.

• Colossus Computer Operational (1943)

  Colossus becomes operational at Bletchley Park as the first electronic programmable computer, used for codebreaking.

• Harvard Mark I Operational (1944)

  Harvard Mark I (IBM ASCC) begins operation as the first large-scale automatic digital computer in the United States.

• Von Neumann Architecture (1945)

  John von Neumann publishes the EDVAC report outlining the stored-program concept that becomes the foundation of modern computers.

• ENIAC Unveiled (1946)

  ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) is unveiled at University of Pennsylvania as the first general-purpose electronic computer.

• Transistor Invented (December 23, 1947)

  Bell Labs inventors John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley invent the transistor, revolutionizing electronics.

• Information Theory Founded (1948)

  Claude Shannon publishes 'A Mathematical Theory of Communication,' founding information theory and digital communications.

• EDVAC Operational (1949)

  EDVAC becomes operational as one of the first stored-program computers, implementing von Neumann architecture.

• UNIVAC Predicts Election (1951)

  UNIVAC I correctly predicts Eisenhower's presidential victory on live television, demonstrating computer capabilities to the public.

• IBM 701 Released (1953)

  IBM 701, IBM's first commercial scientific computer, is released marking IBM's entry into electronic computing.

• Silicon Transistor Commercialized (1954)

  Texas Instruments produces the first commercial silicon transistor, improving reliability and performance over germanium.

• First Transistor Computer (1955)

  Bell Labs develops TRADIC, the first fully transistorized computer, demonstrating transistor advantages over vacuum tubes.

• Hard Disk Drive Invented (1956)

  IBM introduces the first hard disk drive (IBM 305 RAMAC) with 5MB capacity, revolutionizing data storage.

• FORTRAN Released (1957)

  IBM introduces FORTRAN, the first high-level programming language, making programming more accessible to scientists.

• Integrated Circuit Invented (1958)

  Jack Kilby invents the integrated circuit at Texas Instruments, enabling miniaturization of electronic devices.

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