Computing History - Computing History Timeline

Computer Museum


	Home Page About the Museum Museum News Dates in History Game Consoles Calculators Latest Additions Museum Donations Search Our Archive User Area Vintage Computer Hire External Exhibitions Sponsors Contact Us Museum Shop Site Map

1614 [Detail]

1614	Logarithms Invented by John Napier

1622 [Detail]

1622	Slide Rule invented by William Oughtred

1623 [Detail]

1623	Wilhelm Schickard invented a calculating machine,
1623	Francis Bacon first uses Binary

1642 [Detail]

1642	Pascal's calculator or the Pascaline constructed

1646 [Detail]

1646	Sir Thomas Browne coined the phrase ‘computer’.

1666 [Detail]

1666	Samuel Morland builds a mechanical calculator that will add and subtract

1703 [Detail]

1703	Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz invents the Binary System

1791 [Detail]

24th December

Charles Babbage is Born

1815 [Detail]

10th December

Ada, Lady Lovelace, is Born

1820 [Detail]

1820	The Arithmometer was the first commercially successful mechanical calculator patented

1822 [Detail]

1822	Charles Babbage takes first steps in the construction of machines that would compute numbers

1833 [Detail]

5th June

Ada Lovelace Meets Charles Babbage

1851 [Detail]

1851	Arithmometer: first commercially successful mechanical calculator launched

1860 [Detail]

29th February

Herman Hollerith was born 29th February 1860

1873 [Detail]

1873	QWERTY keyboard invented

1874 [Detail]

17th February

Thomas J. Watson Sr. is born

1878 [Detail]

29th October

Willigot T. Odhner granted a patent for a calculating machine

1883 [Detail]

1883	Scheutz invents the first printing calculator

1887 [Detail]

1887	Introduction of the Comptometer by Felt & Tarrant Co
11st October	Dorr E. Felt was granted a patent for the Comptometer.

1888 [Detail]

1888	Introduction of its adder-lister by William Seward Burroughs
21st January	Babbage's Analytical Engine Operates For The First Time
21st August	Burroughs Receives Patent for Calculating Machine

1889 [Detail]

8th January

Herman Hollerith lodges patent for Punch Card technology

1890 [Detail]

1890	Herman Hollerith designs tabulating machines for 1890 U.S. Census
11st March	Hypertext Pioneer Vannevar Bush Is Born
16th August	US Census Bureau announces results using Herman Hollerith's machine

1901 [Detail]

10th September

Herman Hollerith patents Apperatus For Punching Record Cards

1906 [Detail]

9th December

Computer Pioneer Grace Hopper is Born

1910 [Detail]

1910	3 companies merge to become C-T-R

1914 [Detail]

1914	Thomas J. Watson Sr. joins C-T-R

1918 [Detail]

14th July

Core memory inventor Jay Forrester is born

1919 [Detail]

9th April

ENIAC Designer Presper Eckert Is Born

1923 [Detail]

8th November

Integrated Circuit Co-Inventor Jack Kilby is Born

1924 [Detail]

14th February

C-T-R becomes IBM

1925 [Detail]

1925	first patent for a transistor in Canada lodged
January 1925	Douglas Engelbart is Born
28th September	Supercomputer Pioneer Seymour Cray is Born

1928 [Detail]

1928	Introduction of 80-columns card format

1929 [Detail]

17th November

Herman Hollerith Died

1934 [Detail]

1934	IBM 405 Alphabetical Accounting Machine introduced

1936 [Detail]

1936	In 1936, at Cambridge Alan Turing invented the principle of the modern computer
11st April	Konrad Zuse Files For Patent

1937 [Detail]

12nd November	Alan Turing Defines the Universal Machine
12nd November	ILLIAC IV Designer Slotnick is born

1938 [Detail]

1938	Zuse Z1 built by Konrad Zuse

1939 [Detail]

1st January

Hewlett Packard Founded

1941 [Detail]

12nd May

Zuse Z3 machine completed

1942 [Detail]

1942	The Atanasoff-Berry Computer is completed
1942	The Atanasoff–Berry Computer was first conceived

1943 [Detail]

1943	The First Computing Journal
10th April	Work begins on ENIAC
December 1943	The first COLOSSUS code-cracking machine, became operational at Bletchley Park in December 1943.

1944 [Detail]

1944	First Harvard Mark 1 shipped
January 1944	The first Colossus is operational at Bletchley Park.

1945 [Detail]

1945	Grace Hopper recorded the first actual computer "bug"
8th February	Patent is Filed for the Harvard Mark I
9th September	Grace Hopper recorded the first actual computer "bug"

1946 [Detail]

1946	ENIAC, short for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer was announced
4th February	ENIAC Unveiled
19th February	Alan Turing Proposal For 'ACE' Automatic Computing Engine
11st December	Frederick Williams Receives Patent for RAM device

1947 [Detail]

1947	The Williams tube won the race for a practical random-access memory

1948 [Detail]

1948	IBM´s Selective Sequence Electronic Calculator was built
21st June	The Manchester Baby, the world's first stored program computer, ran its first program

1949 [Detail]

1949	EDSAC performed its first calculations
6th May	EDSAC ran its first programs
15th June	Jay Forrester Records "Core Memory" Idea
August 1949	EDVAC goes onlline

1950 [Detail]

1950	Zuse sold first Z4 computer
1950	The first Elliott 152 computer appeared

1951 [Detail]

1951	LEO I computer became operational
1951	UNIVAC-1 goes online
1951	DEC is founded
February 1951	Ferranti Mark 1 delivered to Manchester University
31st March	The first UNIVAC was delivered

1952 [Detail]

1952	Heinz Nixdorf founded Nixdorf Computer
1952	Grace Hopper completes the A-0 Compiler
4th November	CBS News Uses UNIVAC Computer to Predict Election

1953 [Detail]

1953	Jay Forrester installed magnetic core memory at MIT
2nd July	IBM announces the Model 650 computer

1954 [Detail]

1954	Jack Tramiel starts Commodore
20th September	First FORTRAN Program Runs
1st October	IBM Announces Model 705 Computer

1955 [Detail]

1955	English Electric Deuce Computers introduced
24th February	Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs is Born
2nd October	ENIAC is retired
28th October	Bill Gates cofounder of Microsoft Corporation, was born

1956 [Detail]

1956	IBM brings out the Magnetic Disk Memory
28th February	Jay Forrester Receives Patent on "Core" Memory
March 1956	Pegasus, produced by Ferranti Ltd., went into service in March 1956
4th March	Wang Sells Core Memory Patent to IBM
4th July	First keyboard used to input data
13rd September	IBM introduces the IBM 350

1957 [Detail]

1957	FORTRAN-1 is formally published
1957	Frranti Mercury Introduced
May 1957	LEO II Installed
14th October	BCS - British Computer Society is Founded
16th October	CDC Introduces 1604 Computer

1958 [Detail]

12nd September

Jack Kilby created the first integrated circuit

1959 [Detail]

1959	The Xerox 914 is the first office copier for sale
1959	COBOL is introduced

1960 [Detail]

1960	DEC released its first mini computer: PDP-1

1961 [Detail]

1961	LEO III completed in 1961
1961	Computerized spreadsheets for use in business accounting developed
25th April	Robert Noyce Awarded Patent for "Integrated Circuit"
25th July	Clive Sinclair founds Sinclair Radionics
1st December	Minivac 601 Computer Launched

1962 [Detail]

1962	"Music from Mathematics" LP was created using an IBM 7090 computer
1962	The first commercial Modem manufactured
7th December	The Machester Atlas was inaugurated on 7th December 1962

1963 [Detail]

1963	Douglas Engelbart Invents the Mouse
1963	First edition of the ASCII standard was publishe
1963	Theodore H (Ted) Nelson coins the word Hypertext

1964 [Detail]

1964	Graphic tablet developed
1964	Introduction of CDC 6600
1964	BASIC language developed
7th April	IBM releases the System 360 range of commercial computers
1st May	First operation of BASIC
October 1964	First operation of Ferranti Atlas
December 1964	Introduction of DEC PDP-7 18-bits minicomputer

1965 [Detail]

1965	Commodore Business Machines (CBM) is founded.
1965	DEC unveils the PDP-8,
1965	Introduction of Wang 300 electronic calculator
1965	Moore's Law coined

1966 [Detail]

1966	The hand-held pocket calculator was invented at Texas Instruments in 1966
August 1966	Introduction of DEC PDP-9

1967 [Detail]

1967	Barclays Bank in the UK claims to have installed the first cash dispenser
1967	Elliott Automation merged with English Electric
September 1967	Introduction of DEC PDP-10

1968 [Detail]

1968	Introduction of HP-9100 desk calculator
1968	T J WEatson & IBM granted opatent for the DRAM
February 1968	IBM tests a 8in floppy disc
18th July	Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore found Intel Corporation
3rd December	CDC Introduces the 7600 Supercomputer
9th December	Douglas C. Engelbart publicly demonstrates the mouse
21st December	Integrated Circuits First Used in Apollo Moon shot

1969 [Detail]

1969	Honeywell releases the H316 "Kitchen Computer",
1969	Intel announces a 1 kilobit RAM chip
1st May	AMD Advanced Micro Devices is founded
July 1969	First flight to Moon of Apollo XI with Raytheon Apollo Guidance Computer
16th October	DEC PDP-15 Introduced
29th October	ARPANET launch the world's first successful packet-switched wide area computer network
18th December	Plessey buys out Ferranti's numerical Control Interests

1970 [Detail]

1970	UNIX is developed
12nd February	5200 computers installed in Britain
June 1970	Xerox opens the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC)
11st June	Computer terminals in homes predicted for 1980
16th July	DEC introduces the PDP-8/E
17th September	Open University to install ICL 32K 1902A computer
1st October	IBM 370/145 introduced
12nd November	Univac 1110 is introduced

1971 [Detail]

1971	First email sent by Ray Tomlinson
27th May	Burroughs introduces L500 Visible Record Model
8th July	IBM's Thomas J Watson retires
8th July	Olivetti launches P602 "minicomputer"
9th September	Decsystem 10 introduced
7th October	Nixdorf merge with AEG-Telefunken
14th October	DEC launches Giant Mini PDP-11/45
15th November	Intel Launches the First Microprocessor - The 4004
15th November	Intel Introduces the World's First EPROM
25th November	DEC launches PDP-11/03

1972 [Detail]

1972	Clive Sinclair introduces the first pocket calculator
1972	Foundation of Cray Research Inc by Seymour Cray
1972	Space Craft Pioneer 10 & 11 use Custom CPU in TTL
1972	First e-mail program developed
1972	C programming language developed
January 1972	Hewlett-Packard introduces the HP-35
13rd January	ASC developed by Texas Instruments
10th February	Burroughs L7000
9th March	Cossor Electronics
9th March	SITA Network
19th March	Atanasoff Official "Inventor" of Computer
April 1972	The Intel 8008 was introduced
27th April	IBM 370/135
29th June	ARPA Network - UK gets link to major US network
29th June	Flat screen terminal introduced by Burroughs
20th July	Sigma 6
27th July	Honeywell 700
3rd August	First Infra -Red Data Link transmission in the UK
10th August	The Future of ICL as a British-controlled going concern
17th August	Development of standard OS to be halted
24th August	GE Time Sharing Service
5th October	NCR 399
12nd October	IBM OCR 3886
26th October	Burroughs Launch L8000 Range of Computers
9th November	Fujitsu and Hitachi
9th November	IBM's DOS/VS
23rd November	Burroughs TC 3500
29th November	Atari Introduces Pong
7th December	Burroughs L8000
14th December	Problems with IBM 370/155 and 370/165

1973 [Detail]

1973	Xerox Alto personal computer was developed at Xerox PARC
1973	IMSAI is founded. In 1973
1973	The Micral was the earliest commercial, non-kit personal computer
1973	8" floppy & first "Hard Drive introduced by IBM
1973	Gary Kildall writes CP/M
8th February	IBM 370/145
22nd May	Bob Metcalfe invents Ethernet
6th September	Britain exports more computing equipment than it imports
15th November	IBM in Nigeria

1974 [Detail]

1974	The Z-80, 8 bit processor is designed by Zilog Corp
1974	Xerox Palo Alto Research Center designed the Alto
April 1974	introduction of Intel 8080 2MHz microprocessor
16th May	NCR 250-6000
6th June	GA LSI 12/16 and LSI16
13rd June	Philips P852M
August 1974	MITS completes the first prototype Altair 8800 microcomputer

1975 [Detail]

1975	CP/M operating system finished
1st January	MITS Altair launched on the cover of Popular Electronics magazine
3rd March	First meeting of the Homebrew Club
July 1975	Bill Gates and Paul Allen sign a licensing agreement with MITS
August 1975	Cray 1A announced
15th September	Microsoft Founded

1976 [Detail]

1976	Seymour Cray demonstrates CRAY-1 - The first vector-processor supercomputer
1976	The 5 1/4" flexible disk drive was introduced
1976	Viking Spce craft uses RCA 1802 8 bit CMOS Microprocessor
22nd January	Dec System 20 introduced
4th March	Intel introduce SBC-80/10 "computer on a card"
April 1976	Apple 1 Released
1st April	Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne Found Apple Computer Inc.
20th May	Burroughs introduce the large B7700 series
11st July	Last slide rule manufactured today

1977 [Detail]

1977	The MK14 was introduced by Science of Cambridge
6th April	Commodore International shows its Commodore PET 2001
5th June	The Apple II launched
July 1977	Science of Cambridge Ltd Formed
12nd August	Radio Shack announces TRS-80 computer

1978 [Detail]

1978	Texas Instruments introduced Speak & Spell
1978	VisiCalc Spreadsheet is born
5th December	Acorn Computers Ltd formed in Cambridge, UK

1979 [Detail]

1st January	Microsoft moves from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Bellevue, Washington
April 1979	Acorn System 1 Launched
11st May	"VisiCalc" introduced
June 1979	Apple ][+ Launched

1980 [Detail]

1980	Acorn Atom Launched
29th January	Sinclair ZX80 Launched
June 1980	The Apple /// was announced
6th November	Microsoft Signs Contract with IBM to Create Operating System
12nd December	Apple Computer’s Initial Share Offering

1981 [Detail]

1981	Sinclair ZX81 Computer Lanuched
1981	Acorn BBC Micro Launched
1981	The first ‘portable’ computer is launched
1981	Space Shuttle uses Intel 8086 and RCA 1802
March 1981	Introduction of Osborne portable computer in a suitcase
12nd April	HP-41 calculator Used In Space Shuttle
May 1981	VIC-20 Released in Europe & US
25th June	Microsoft incorporates
12nd August	IBM introduces personal computer with Microsoft's 16-bit operating system, MS-DOS 1.0
13rd August	IBM announced that it was launching a personal computer using an Intel 8088

1982 [Detail]

1982	Introduction of Cray X-MP supercomputer
1st February	Introduction of Intel 80286 at 6 MHz, with 134,000 transistors
23rd April	Sinclair launches the ZX Spectrum computer
August 1982	Commodore 64 Released
August 1982	Dragon 32 Released

1983 [Detail]

January 1983	Apple Lisa Launched
January 1983	Introduction of spreadsheet program 1-2-3 by Lotus,
2nd May	Microsoft Introduced 2-button Mouse
10th November	Microsoft Introduces Windows

1984 [Detail]

1984	Novelist William Gibson coins the term cyberspace
1984	IBM’s new 3480 cartridge tape system introduced
1984	Creation of Dell Computer Corporation by Michael Dell
1984	IBM and Compaq introduce the IDE interface
January 1984	Apple launches Macintosh 128K
13rd April	First ARM Processors Powered Up
August 1984	Introduction of IBM PC/AT based on Intel 80286
September 1984	Macintosh 512K Launched

1985 [Detail]

January 1985	Commodore 128 Released
20th February	Olivetti buy 49% of Acorn Computers
24th September	Steve Jobs founds NeXT Computers Inc.
October 1985	Introduction of Intel 386
20th November	Microsoft Windows was launched
4th December	Cray X-MP Supercomputer Begins Operation

1986 [Detail]

1986	Nintendo NES system released
1986	First PC virus is released with "Brain"
January 1986	Apple Macintosh Plus launched
February 1986	Acorn BBC Master Launched
26th February	Microsoft moves to corporate campus in Redmond, Washington
13rd March	Microsoft stock goes public
September 1986	Acorn BBC Master Compact Launched

1987 [Detail]

March 1987	Macintosh II released
2nd April	Windows 2 was launched

1988 [Detail]

1988	The NeXT (68030 CPU) computer is introduced after two years of research
1988	RISC OS is released
1988	The first worm experience appears
8th August	Unisys takes over Convergent Technologies
30th September	IBM announces 3 millionth PS/2 personal computer

1989 [Detail]

1989	Tim Berners-Lee toyed with the idea of web pages and hyperlinks
January 1989	Apple introduces the Macintosh SE/30
27th April	ICL introduces DRS model 40 and 45
September 1989	Apple Macintosh Portable Released

1990 [Detail]

1990	Introduction of IBM RS/6000
1990	Hubble Space Telescope uses 386 processor
22nd May	Microsoft launches Windows 3.0

1991 [Detail]

1991	Linus Torvalds from Finland releases Linux version 0.02
1st February	Sun Microsystems Starts Java Technology
28th August	First E-mail From Space Is Sent from a Mac Portable
October 1991	Apple releases the PowerrBook 100

1992 [Detail]

1992	Internet freed from Government control
6th April	Microsoft Releases Windows 3.1

1993 [Detail]

19th January	IBM Announces a loss of $4.97m for 1992
22nd March	Intel Ships "Pentium" Chip"
August 1993	Apple Newton Message Pad announced
3rd August	Introduction of Apple Newton PDA
27th August	Compaq Introduces Presario

1994 [Detail]

1994	Netscape Communications Corporation is founded

1995 [Detail]

24th August

Microsoft launches Windows 95

1996 [Detail]

1996	eBay is founded by Jeff Skoll and Pierre Omidyar
1996	Apple Computer buys NeXT

1997 [Detail]

1997	zon.com, an online bookseller, goes public
3rd May	IBM's Deep Blue Beats Gary Kasparov at Chess
2nd September	IBM announces RS/6000 SP Deep Blue

1998 [Detail]

May 1998	Introduction of Apple iMac
25th June	Microsoft launches Windows 98
August 1998	Apple Release the iMac
September 1998	Foundation of Google by Larry Page and Sergey Brin

1999 [Detail]

1999	The Millennium bug is taken seriously
1999	Napster the first file sharing program introduced

2000 [Detail]

17th February	Microsoft launches Windows 2000
1st June	Intel ES7000 server from Unisys introduced

2001 [Detail]

17th October	Apple Launches a New Music Device - The iPod
25th October	Microsoft Releases Windows XP

2002 [Detail]

7th November

Microsoft and partners launch Tablet PC

2003 [Detail]

24th April

Microsoft launches Windows Server 2003

2004 [Detail]

20th July	Microsoft returns $75 billion to shareholders
20th October	First Ubuntu Linux operating system Released
9th November	Firefox 1.0 Introduced

2005 [Detail]

2005	Google now indexes over 8 billion pages

2006 [Detail]

25th June

Microsoft announces Bill Gates transition

2007 [Detail]

2007	iPhone introduced
30th January	Microsoft launches Windows Vista and Office 2007

2008 [Detail]

2008	The HD player war comes to an end
26th August	Virus Found On Computer In Space Station

2010 [Detail]

20th February	First Tweet sent to Twitter on VIC-20
26th May	Apple Surpasses Microsoft as Most Valuable Technology Company
28th May	Apple iPad Launched in the UK

© The Centre for Computing History - Computer Museum

Registered Charity Number 1130071

Web Design : Pure Energy Powered By SiteWise