Year Event By Whom

First use of the term bit for binary digit, the basic unit
of data for computers. A bit (short for binary digit) is
the smallest unit of data in a computer. A bit has a
single binary value, either 0 or 1. Although computers
usually provide instructions that can test and
1946 manipulate bits, they generally are designed to store John Tukey
data and execute instructions in bit multiples called
bytes. In most computer systems, there are eight bits
in a byte. The value of a bit is usually stored as either
above or below a designated level of electrical charge
in a single capacitor within a memory device.
The First High-Speed, General-Purpose Computer , the
1946 Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer Eckert and Mauchly
(ENIAC) is developed
The Williams-Kilburn Tube (or Williams Tube), a type
of altered cathode-ray tube is invented.Scientists Sir Frederick Williams and
1946
conducted research on cathode-ray tubes serving as Tom Kilburn
computer data storage.
1947 The first RAM (Random Access memory) is invented. Fred Williams
On 21 June, MARK-1, the first programmable
computer at Manchester University, runs its first Prof. Tom Kilburn wrote the
1948
program. In computing, a program is a specific set of program
ordered operations for a computer to perform.
The point-contact transistors replace the bulky and
fragile vacuum tube. The transistor is an electronic Developed by John
1948 signal regulator. A transistor regulates current or Bardeen, William Shockley
voltage flow and acts as a switch or gate for electronic and Walter Britain
signals.
EDSAC became the first stored-program computer in
1948 Maurice Wilkes
general use.
The computer memory core. Memory is the electronic
1948 holding place for instructions and data in your Wang
computer that the microprocessor can reach quickly.
Short Code developed for the UNIVAC 1. This is both
1949 the first interpreted language and the first assembly NA
language.
1949 The first chess playing machine is invented. Claude Shannon of MIT

Year Event By Whom

UNIVAC, (UNIVersal Automatic Computer) is a Developed by Presper
programmable computer considered to be the first Eckert and John Mauchly
1951
commercially marketed computer sold for over 1 under the Ramington-Rand
million dollars. Co.,
The compiler , a program that scans a programmer's
instructions, produces an organized program and
1951 Grace Hooper
carries it out. It will be used first time in 1954 with
UNIVAC I. It remained in service for 12 years.
The first machine designed specifically for commercial
1951 NA
purposes was LEO (Lyons Electric Office) in Britain.
1951 The junction transistors are invented. Technical feats Dr. W. B. Shockley, R.L.
that previously required relatively large, mechanically Wallace and Morgan
fragile, power-hungry vacuum tubes were suddenly Sparks
 achievable with tiny, mechanically rugged, power-
thrifty specks of crystalline silicon. This revolution
made possible the design and manufacture of
lightweight, inexpensive electronic devices that we
now take for granted.
WHIRLWIND the first real-time computer is Jay Forrester and Ken
1951
completed. Olsen
IBM (Industrial Business Machines) made the decision
to add computers to their line of business equipment
1952 NA
products. This led IBM to become a dominant force in
this field.
1952 AUTOCODE, a rudimentary compiler is developed Alick E. Glennie
The first production-line electronic digital computer
from IBM, Model 701, marketed for scientific use. It Designed by Nathaniel
1952
includes 1 Kb RAM, a Tape Drive that used magnetized Rochester
plastic tape and a punched-card reader.
1952 First computer manual is made. Fred Gruenberger
1953 Transistors are first used in a computer. NA

Year Event By Whom

Magnetic-core memory replaces electrostatic tubes on
WHIRLWIND, doubling the speed, quadrupling the
1953 input data rate and reducing memory bank NA
maintenance time from 4 hours per day to 2 hours per
day
1953 ILLIAC - the world most powerful computer University of Illinois.
IBM 650 - a smaller version of 701- was a big success
selling over 1800 units. Like 701, the 650 could read
1953 from and write to both magnetic tape and punched NA
cards. It is considered to be the first mass-produced
computer.
1953 SNARC, the first neural network simulator is invented. Marvin Minsky
A Semiconductor Laboratory is the first company
1955 William Shockley
established in Silicon Valley, San Francisco Bay
1955 The term "artificial intelligence" is coined. John McCarthy
TRIDAC is the first computer to use transistors.
1955 Computers based on transistors marked the beginning NA
of the 2-nd Generation of Computers
IPL-II, the first artificial intelligence language. Artificial
intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence
processes by machines, especially computer systems.
Allen Newell, J.C. Shaw
1955 These processes include learning (the acquisition of
and Herbert Simon
information and rules for using the information),
reasoning (using the rules to reach approximate or
definite conclusions), and self-correction.

Year Event By Whom

IBM shipped 55% of all the data processing
1956 NA
equipment.
The first Operating System is designed. The system
1956 gets the cryptic name of: GM/NAA-I/O and is installed Bob Patrick en Owen Mock
on the IBM 704.
The first hard drive is invented. It contains fifty 24
1956 inch disks, has a capacity of 5 MB and costs over IBM
US$1,000,000
FORTRAN, the first high-level computer language used Invented by John Backus
1957
for mathematical, scientific and engineering purposes and his team at IBM.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) was
created within the Department of Defense (DoD) to
1957 United States
try to establish a U.S. lead in science and technology
which was made applicable to the military.
Control Data Corporation builds supercomputers for
scientific calculations. A supercomputer is a computer
that performs at or near the currently highest
Established by Seymour
1957 operational rate for computers. A supercomputer is
Cray and William Norris
typically used for scientific and engineering
applications that must handle very large databases or
do a great amount of computation (or both).
FORTRAN II is able to handle subroutines and links to
1958 NA
assembly languages.
ALGOL (Algorithmic Oriented Language), the first
high-level language to break away from using
1958 NA
mathematical formula processing and aimed more at
general problem solving.
The first integrated circuits. An integrated circuit (IC),
sometimes called a chip or microchip, is a
Created by Jack Kilby from
1958 semiconductor wafer on which thousands or millions
Texas Institute
of tiny resistors, capacitor, and transistor are
fabricated
The first modulator-demodulator device, known as
modem, at a speed of 300 baud. A modem modulates
outgoing digital signals from a computer to analog
1958 Developed at Bell Labs
signals for a telephone line and demodulates the
incoming analog signal and converts it to a digital
signal for the computer.
1958 In USA, there are 2500 computers in use. NA
The first virtual memory machine, Atlas, is University of Manchester by R.M.
1958
installed in England by Feranti. Kilburn.
LISP, an interpreted language used in Artificial
Intelligence applications (AI). A feature of LISP
1959 is the use of brackets as delimiters. Over years Developed by John Mc Carthy
many versions of LISP have been offered:
MacLisp, ZetaLisp, ICI-Lisp, InterLisp
By this year, over 200 programming languages
1959 Developed by Grace Murray.
have been created.
COBOL , a commercial institutional language, is
developed. The language is meant for
1959 Grace Hooper
computing large amounts of data, but it also fits
many other purposes.
The planer integrated circuit opens the door for
1959 Invented by Robert Noyce
commercial development.
IBM delivered the first four models of the first
1959 all-transistor computers to the United States Air NA
Force. These were called the 7090 series.
Don Hart and Ed Jacks at General
DAC-1 (Design Augmented by Computers) is the
1959 Motors Research Laboratory and
first computer aided drawing system developed.
IBM
1959 Xerox 914 is the first office copier for sale. Haloid Xerox Inc.
IBM defines PL/1 as a combination of ALGOL,
FORTRAN, and COBOL. The new language will
be used to write large application programs on
large systems. PL/I stands for "Programming
1960 Developed by George Radin of IBM
Language 1". PL/I was an antecedent of the C
programming language, which essentially
replaced it as an all-purpose serious
programming language.
Year Event By Whom
The first minicomputer, the PDP-1is invented at Digital
Equipment Corporation.Typically, minicomputers have
been stand-alone computers (computer systems with
1960 attached terminals and other devices) sold to small Benjamin Curley
and mid-size businesses for general business
applications and to large enterprises for department-
level operations.
ALGOL 60, the first block-structured language created
, became the most popular language in Europe in 60s.
1960 ALGOL (ALGOrithmic Language) is one of several high University of Colorado
level languages designed specifically for programming
scientific computations.
Digital announced a small computer called PDP-1
1960 (Programmed Data Processor-1) priced at 125,000 Designed by Ben Gurley.
and 250,000 US$.
About 6000 computers are in operation in the United
1960 NA
States.
 APL (A Programming Language), which uses
special characters and demands APL-compatible
1961 Keneth Iversson
peripheral devices to function correctly, is
developed.
The first computer game invented.This was a
1962 two-player game involving warring spaceships Steve Russell & MIT
firing photon torpedoes.
FORTRAN IV appears.It was a 'clean up' of
FORTRAN II, improving things like the
implementation of the COMMON and
1962 ASA committee
EQUIVALENCE statements, and eliminating
some machine-dependant language
irregularities.
The idea of distributed, packet-switching
1962 Paul Baran
networks emerges
First use of virtual memory in mainframe
computer. Virtual (or logical) memory is a
concept that, when implemented by a computer
1962 NA
and its operating system, allows programmers
to use a very large range of memory or storage
addresses for stored data.
Eliza, a computer program that simulates the
1962 Joseph Weizenbaum
responses of a psychiatrist, is developed.
The American National Standard Institute
(ANSI) renders the ASCII character tables as
Bob Berner is the chief designer of
1963 the standard character representation system
the ASCII code
for the computer industry. ASCII stands for
American Standard Codes for Information.
BASIC (Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Created by John Kemeney and
1964 Instruction Code) developed .The first BASIC Thomas Kurtz at Dortmonth
was a slow, unstructured, interpreted language. University.
The world's fastest computer yet, CDC 6600, is
1964 CDC (Control Data Computer)
developed
The family of IBM System/360 computers
released after 5 years of development. Were the
first in the 3-rd generation of computers. Their
1964 NA
controlling circuitry is stored on chips.
System/360 was available in 5 sizes and was a
huge success.
Year Event By Whom
1964 SABRE is the first commercial network developed. IBM
First Local Area Network (LAN). LAN- computer
network that spans a relatively small area. Most LANs
1964 are confined to a single building or group of buildings. Palo Alto Research Center
However, one LAN can be connected to other LANs
over any distance via telephone lines and radio waves.
1964 The first mouse invented. Douglas Engelbart
1964 Computer Aided Design (CAD) is developed IBM and General Motors.
System 360, the first family of compatible computers,
1964 IBM
is developed.
First fully automated, computer-controlled factory is
1964 Sara Lee
inaugurated.
The first cache memory chip is developed. It was used
1965 Maurice Wilkes
in mainframe and minicomputers
PDP-8 computers were a big success. By 1975 Digital Digital Equipment
1965
has sold 40,000 units. Corporation

Year Event By Whom

1966 FORTRAN 66 appears. NA
First WAN experiment (ARPAnet). A WAN (wide area
network) is a geographically dispersed
1966 telecommunications network and the term NA
distinguishes a broader telecommunication structure
from a local area network (LAN).
The process of developing the first floppy disk storage
1967 David Noble from IBM
called Initial Control Program Load (IPL) starts.
The digital compact disc, now commonplace in stereos
1967 James T. Russell
and computers, is invented.
Pascal, a language which is still used for educational
puposes, is developed. Pascal got its name from a
1968 Niklaus Wirth
French philosopher and mathematician in the 17th
century, Blaise Pascal.
1968 RAM (random access memory) is invented Robert Dennard
Laser Printer developed. When a document is sent to
1969 the laser printer, a laser beam "draws" the document IBM
on a selenium-coated drum using electrical charges.
UNIX operating system developed. The first version of
UNIX runs on a PDP-7 minicomputer of Digital Electric Ken Thompson and Dennis
1969
Company (DEC) and is completed this year. However Ritchey
this version still is a single user version.
The first Floppy disk was built and was incorporated in
1969 NA
IBM's System/370 machines.
ROM - Read Only memory - is invented. This
technology makes it possible for computers to keep
1970 Intel
information stored even when the computer is
switched off.

Year Event By Whom

1970 FORTH, the first fourth generation language is Charles Moore
 developed. It was used in scientific and industrial
control applications.
Till the end of this year, Digital has sold 10,000
1970 NA
computer systems.
A new disk storage device called Igor is developed. It
1970 IBM
was on the market in 1971.
The first operating LCDs are invented.LCD (Liquid
Crystal Display) technology has completely redefined
1970 many industries, such as computer displays, medical James Fergason
devices, industrial devices, and the vast array of
consumer electronics.

Year Event By Whom

The eight inch floppy disk is developed. This disk is
built from an 8" plastic disk on which a thin magnetic
1971 OPIUM and IBM
layer is applied on a single side. The storage capacity
is 130 Kbytes, about 60 pages of A4 size.
Developed by Nolan
1971 Computer Space, the first modern video game
Bushnell.
The first commercial microprocessor, the Intel Corp.
1971 Intel
4004 is released.
The first single chip microcomputer was developed .
The work started in 1968. A microcomputer is a
Developed by Gilbert Hyatt
complete computer on a smaller scale and is generally
1971 at Micro Computer Inc.,
a synonym for the more common term, personal
Los Angeles
computer or personal computer, a computer designed
for an individual.
The InterNetworking Working Group (INWG) becomes
1971 the first standards-setting entity to govern the NA
growing network.
1971 The microprocessor is invented Robert Noyce
1971 The first single chip microcomputer invented. Gilbert Hyatt
In February, the Intel 4004 microprocessor reaches
the market. It has 12 sq.mm. die size and 16 pins
which fit in the motherboard. It is the "engine" that
1971 goes into motion when you turn your computer on. A NA
microprocessor is designed to perform arithmetic and
logic operations that make use of small number-
holding areas called registers.
The first personal computer, the Kenbak I is
1971 John Blankenbaker
developed.
The first implementation of PROLOG (Programming in
Logic) developed . It's the preferred language for the
1972 University of Aix-Marselle
5-th generation of machines. It's a descriptive and
declarative language.

Year Event By Whom

Pioneer 10 spacecraft used the first Intel 4004
1972 NA
microprocessor.
PL/M, the first high-level programming language for
1972 Gary Kildall
the Intel microprocessor, is written
1972 The first e-mail program invented Ray Tomlinson of BBN
Unix is rewritten in C by Kernel. UNIX is an operating
system that originated at Bell Labs in 1969 as an
1972 NA
interactive time-sharing system. Ken Thompson and
Dennis Ritchie are considered the inventors of UNIX.
The number of companies involved in computer
1972 NA
industry reach 600.
Texas Inst. announced their first microprocessor the
1972 NA
TI F8
Intel ships the 8008 microprocessor, a 8-bit version of
1972 NA
4004.
1972 First computer-to-computer chat takes place UCLA
The Ethernet, the network design that allows
1973 computers to communicate to each other over a local Invented by Bob Metcalfe
area network (LAN), is developed.
1973 Internet consists of 25 computers. NA

Year Event By Whom

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is introduced to enable
1973 A. McKenzie
transfer of files on the Net.
UPC (Universal Products
1973 Barcodes are invented.
Code)
ARPANet becomes operational. ARPANet was the
network that became the basis for the Internet. It was
1973 funded mainly by U.S. military sources and consisted Pentagon
of a number of individual computers connected by
leased lines and using a packet-switching scheme.
In December Intel's new microprocessor 8080 is used
1973 in the first microcomputer - Altair. It addresses a MIT
memory of 64.000 bytes
The ARPANET goes international with connections to
1973 University College in London, England and the Royal NA
Radar Establishment in Norway.
1974 ARPANet becomes an international network. NA
Digital's first Large Scale Integration processor, the
1974 NA
MPS, is introduced.
The first true touchscreen came on the scene in 1974.
1974 A touch interface allows users to navigate a computer Dr.Hurst of Elographics
system by touching icons or links on the screen.
The first game console that enables the players to
1974 interchange games is announced.The first games are Atari
called Pac Man, Breakout, and LeMan
The first public packet-switched network - Telenet, is
1974 BBN
developed

Year Event By Whom

The word "hypertext" is coined to describe dynamic
1974 Ted Nelson
documents
The world's first international digital voice
1974 INTELSAT
communications service is introduced.
1974 ARPAnet more than triples in size to include 15 nodes Pentagon
 and 23 hosts.
Digital announces LA36 DECwriter II, which will
1974 NA
became the market standard.
Altair 8800 becomes the first personal computer
( microcomputer) on the market. Over 2000 sold by
1975 end of the year. It cost $395 but up to $2000 worth of Developed by MITS
peripherals were needed to make it go. Used Intel
8080 microprocessor and 256 bytes memory.
1975 The first video terminal VT52l is developed Digital Equipment.
1975 Microsoft is set up as a company. Bill Gates and Paul Allen
C language developed.C was the first systems
programming language - no longer did an operating Brian Kernighan and
1975
system need to be tied to a particular piece of Dennis Ritchie
hardware.
Sphere 1 microcomputer used a Motorola 6800, with 4
1975 Kb RAM, a keyboard, video interface and ROM based NA
monitoring, all for 650 $
1975 First computer store opens in California. NA

Year Event By Whom

Electric Pencil, the first word processor software for
microcomputers,is released. A word processor is a
1976 computer program that provides special capabilities Michael Schrayer
beyond that of a text editor and usually provides a
graphical user interface.
Steve Jobs and Steve
1976 On 1 April Apple Computers founded
Wazniak
The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is created. The
1976 basic job of the BIOS was to communicate with an Gary Kildall
external storage device such as a floppy drive.
51/4" mini floppy disk drive priced at 390 U$. In
recent years, 5.25-inch diskettes have been largely
1976 replaced by 3.5-inch diskettes, which are physically Shugart
more rugged. Many people also call the newer hard-
cased diskette a "floppy."
1976 The TMS 9000, the first 16-bit microprocessor. Texas Inst.
1977 Microsoft licensed Microsoft BASIC to Apple. NA
Interactive System Corp. began selling Unix in the
1977 commercial market; Unix is introduced to IBM 360 NA
System.
A version of Unix called version 4xBSD is introduced.
University of California at
1977 Includes a Pascal interpreter, a Pascal shell and a
Berkeley
selection of hardware drivers.
In April Apple II, the first microcomputer with a color
graphic capability had sold millions over 15 years. Released by Apple
1977
Based on Motorola 6502 processor could hold up 64 Computer Inc.
Kb RAM.
The first implementation of a TCP system. TCP is a
1977 tool that allows distinct networks to communicate with Kahn and Cerf
each other.
Year Event By Whom
1977 100 hosts on Arpanet. NA
The first microcomputer called PET is released in April.
Commodore founded by
1977 It offers 4 Kb RAM, 4 Kb ROM (including Basic), a
Jack Tramiel
Keyboard, Display and Cassette interface.
The TSR-80 model 1, the first complete pre-assembled
small computer system. It included 4 Kb RAM, 4 Kb
1977 Radio Shack
ROM (including Microsoft's BASIC), a Keyboard,
Display and Cassette interface.
VAX-11/780, the first member of the VAX series of
1977 Digital
computers.
Internet Protocol (IP), a separate program that
handles the routing of individual messages.The
1978 Internet Protocol (IP) is the method or protocol by Xeros Corp.
which data is sent from one computer to another on
the Internet.
1978 Word Master, a word processor precursor to Word Star Micro Pro Int.
1978 WHATSIT, the first database manager. Computer Headware
First version of Oracle that will became the standard
1978 Oracle Corporation
database for mainframe and Client/Server networking.
The MX-80 dot matrix printer is released. The dot-
matrix printer has been a popular low-cost personal
1978 Epson America
computer printer. It's an impact printer that strikes
the paper a line at a time.
The first commercial laser printer, the Xerox 9700 is
1978 Xerox Corp.
announced.

Commodore was the second selling 25,000

1978 NA
PETs, followed by Apple with 20,000 systems.
1978 Intel 8086 microprocessor hits the market. NA
The concept of "office automation" is
1978 WANG VS minicomputer system
introduced.
VisiCalc was the first computer spreadsheet
program invented for microcomputers. It will be
1979 distributed on the market in 1979 by Software Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston
Ants initially available only on Apple II. The
program was an instant success.
Magic Wand, a wordprocessor program became
1979 NA
a competitor for Word Star.
EIES, the first Electronic Information Exchange
1979 Anthony Pennings
System is developed.
Vulcan database program that will later become
1979 dBase II. It allows up to 65,000 records, and up Wayne Ratliff
to 32 fields of 1Kb each.
1979 Ada language developed ; It's a highly US Department of Defense
structured, modular language based on Pascal.
 Easy to learn, very readable but not efficient.
Unix version 7 extended with same 143
1979 additional commands including full K & R AT&T
compiler and Bourne shell.
Microsoft BASIC version 3.0 appears followed
soon by version 4.Beginner's All-Purpose
Symbolic Instruction Code, or BASIC, was an
1979 NA
early programming language that is still among
the simplest and most popular of programming
languages.

Year Event By Whom

Micro Pro Int. founded by
1979 Word Star Rob Barnaby and Seymon
Rubenstain
The first Atari microcomputers: Atari 400 and 800 are
1979 announced. They offer 8 Kb RAM (expandable to 48 Atari
Kb), a full Keyboard and a Sound and Graphics chip
The Micromodem 100 is announced- It is the first
Hayes Microcomputers
1979 commercial modem. It could transmit at 110 to 300
Products
bps.
1979 The first 16-bit processor on the market: 9900 Texas Inst.
Developed by Ward
The first Computerized Bulletin Board System (CBBS)
1979 Christensen and Randy
is open to the public in Chicago.
Suess
Usenet, a multidisciplinary computer network of news Students of North Carolina
1979
and discussion groups, is formed. (USA
There were 16 companies in microprocessor industry;
The total worldwide shipments of microprocessors in
1979 NA
this year were 18 mil. units, with 10 mil.
microcontroller used into automobiles.
Matra Datavision is created as part of Lagardere
1980 NA
Group and starts to produce CAD/CAM software.
1980 The graphical user interface (GUI) is developed Xerox Alto
1980 The hard disk is introduced Seagate

Year Event By Whom

The first version of Word Perfect announced. By
Satellite Software (later
1980 1987,it was the dominant DOS word processor
Word Perfect Corp.)
program.
1980 The first INTELSAT V spacecraft is launched INTELSAT
The first CD-DA (Digital Audio) device. The original
1980 Philips and Sony
specification is called Red Book.
Digital Equipment topped 2 billion revenues, second
1980 NA
place behind IBM.
Commodore VIC-20 becomes the first million-seller
model in the history of computer industry. It has 5 Kb
1980 NA
RAM, BASIC in ROM, Color Display, Modem interface,
etc. for 300 U$.
1980 5 1/4" Winchester driver that holds 80 times as much Shugart
data as a standard floppy and transfers data 20 times
 faster.
Apple became a public company with 4.6 million
1980 shares. Jobs and Wozniak are instant NA
multimillionaires.
IBM chooses the new Intel 8088 microprocessor for
1980 NA
their first microcomputer.
The number of companies in computer industry
1980 NA
reaches 3000. IBM shipped 25 % of the market.