History of Computer

The first computer was invented by Charles Babbage (1822) but was not
built until 1991! Alan Turing invented computer science. The ENIAC (1945)
was the first electronic general-purpose digital computer; it filled a room. The
Micral N was the world’s first “personal computer”(1973).
While the conceptual idea behind the computer was developed in the 19 th
century, the first electronic computer was developed in the 1940s. Early
computers used mechanical relays and vacuum tubes, which were replaced
by transistors and later by integrated circuits, which led to the
microprocessors we use today.
From the introduction of the first computer in the early 1800s through the many types
of portable and handheld computers available now, the evolution of computers
continues to this day.
This timeline includes some of the key events in the history of computers:
 1834 - Charles Babbage invents the analytical engine, which improved upon
mechanized calculation technology and allowed for more general-purpose
calculation.
 1887 - Herman Hollerith develops a tabulating system that uses punch cards to
speed up processing for the 1890 U.S. Census. This technology set the
foundation for later developments in computing.
 1911 - Herman Hollerith's Tabulating Machine Company merges with two other
companies to form the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company, which is now
called IBM.
 1937 - George Stibitz, a scientist at Bell Laboratories, builds a demonstration
circuit called the ''Model K'' Adder. This development led to the 1939 construction
of the Model I Complex Calculator.
 1939 - Bill Hewlett and David Packard found Hewlett-Packard in California.
 1940 - German engineer Konrad Zuse completes the Z3, a computer that was
used for aerodynamic calculations.
 1945 - University of Pennsylvania professors John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert
develop the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC), an early
digital computer. The ENIAC used punch cards and was designed to help Army
gunners aim their weapons with accuracy.
 1946 - Mauchly and Eckert build the first commercial computer, the Universal
Automatic Computer (UNIVAC), using Census Bureau funding. Business and
government entities used the UNIVAC.
 1947 - Bell Labs scientists develop the first transistor, a solid state electronic
device with three terminals that can be used to control electric current and
voltage flow between terminals. The transistor is an important component in
nearly all electronics used today.
 1958 - The integrated circuit debuts. Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce designed the
integrated circuit, which is also known as the computer chip. Kilby received a
Nobel Prize in Physics for his efforts.
 1971 - Intel introduces the first microprocessor, the Intel 4004. This
microprocessor combined all of the necessary chips onto one chip and made the
PC possible.
 1975 - The Altair 8800 mail order computer kit is featured in Popular
Electronics. The computer sold for $297 without a case and had 256 bytes of
memory. Produced by Telemetry Systems and Micro Instrumentation, the Altair
8800 is considered by many to be the first personal computer.
 1975 - Bill Gates and Paul Allen formed Microsoft, a computer software company
that transformed into a global technology corporation. When Microsoft went
public in 1987, Gates became the youngest billionaire in the world at age 31.
 1976 - Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak found Apple Computers, Inc. to create user-
friendly computers. By 1980, Apple Computers, Inc. had $117 million in sales.
 1981 - IBM releases its first PC, which gained widespread adoption. The IBM PC
ran on Microsoft Disk Operating System, MS-DOS.
 1991 - Swiss computer programmer Tim Berners-Lee introduces the World Wide
Web, a network of information that anyone on the internet can access.
 2010 - The iPad, a handheld tablet produced by Apple, is launched. Handheld
computers became increasingly popular after the release of the iPad.
Computers have evolved as technology has progressed. Early computers
were extremely large and difficult to program. They also required air-
conditioning to prevent overheating. Modern computers benefit from the
development of a variety of hardware and software, as well as the creation of
new programming languages.
In 1953, Grace Hopper created the Common, Business-Oriented Language

(COBOL), which was the first computer language. She received a Presidential
Medal of Freedom posthumously for her invention and was dubbed the ‘’First
Lady of Software.’’
The (Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) BASIC programming

language was developed at Dartmouth College in 1964. BASIC became one
of the most commonly used programming languages for computers.
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Lesson Summary
The evolution of computer technology builds on the abacus, an ancient

calculation device, and the slide rule, an analog computational device.
English mathematician Charles Babbage is often called the father of
computers because nearly all modern computers rely on the basic ideas that
Babbage introduced. Babbage began designing an analytical engine in 1830.
The analytical engine could be programmed using punched cards to perform
calculations. Konrad Zuse developed the first working, fully automatic, and
programmable digital computer, the Z3, between 1935 and 1941 in
Germany.

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History of Computer

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The first computer was invented by Charles Babbage (1822) but was not

In 1953, Grace Hopper created the Common, Business-Oriented Language

The (Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) BASIC programming

To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.

Create your account

The evolution of computer technology builds on the abacus, an ancient

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