1622 Slide Rule invented by William Oughtred
1623 Wilhelm Schickard invented a calculating machine,
1623 Francis Bacon first uses Binary
1642 Pascal's calculator or the Pascaline constructed
1646 Sir Thomas Browne coined the phrase ‘computer’.
1666 Samuel Morland builds a mechanical calculator that will add and subtract
1703 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz invents the Binary System
1791
24th December Charles Babbage is Born
1815
10th December Ada, Lady Lovelace, is Born
1820
1820 The Arithmometer was the first commercially successful mechanical calculator patented
1822
1822 Charles Babbage takes first steps in the construction of machines that would compute numbers
1833
5th June Ada Lovelace Meets Charles Babbage
1837
December 1837 Charles Babbage published a paper describing a mechanical computer that is now known as the Analytical Engine
1851
1851 Arithmometer: first commercially successful mechanical calculator launched
1860
29th February Herman Hollerith was born 29th February 1860
1873
1873 QWERTY keyboard invented
1874
17th February Thomas J. Watson Sr. is born
1878
29th October Willigot T. Odhner granted a patent for a calculating machine
1883
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
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
10th September Herman Hollerith patents Apperatus For Punching Record Cards
1906
9th December Computer Pioneer Grace Hopper is Born
1910
1910 3 companies merge to become C-T-R
1914
1914 Thomas J. Watson Sr. joins C-T-R
1918
14th July Core memory inventor Jay Forrester is born
1919
9th April ENIAC Designer Presper Eckert Is Born
1923
8th November Integrated Circuit Co-Inventor Jack Kilby is Born
1924
14th February C-T-R becomes IBM
1925
1925 first patent for a transistor in Canada lodged
January 1925 Douglas Engelbart is Born
28th September Supercomputer Pioneer Seymour Cray is Born
1928
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
12nd November Alan Turing Defines the Universal Machine
12nd November ILLIAC IV Designer Slotnick is born
1938
1938 Zuse Z1 built by Konrad Zuse
1939
1st January Hewlett Packard Founded
1941
12nd May Zuse Z3 machine completed
1942
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
1947 The Williams tube won the race for a practical random-access memory
1948
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
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
1950 Zuse sold first Z4 computer
1950 The first Elliott 152 computer appeared
1951
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
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
1953 Jay Forrester installed magnetic core memory at MIT
2nd July IBM announces the Model 650 computer
1954
1954 Jack Tramiel starts Commodore
20th September First FORTRAN Program Runs
1st October IBM Announces Model 705 Computer
1955
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
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
1957 FORTRAN-1 is formally published
1957 Ferranti Mercury Introduced
May 1957 LEO II Installed
14th October BCS - British Computer Society is Founded
16th October CDC Introduces 1604 Computer
1958
12nd September Jack Kilby created the first integrated circuit
1959
1959 The Xerox 914 is the first office copier for sale
1959 COBOL is introduced
1960
1960 DEC released its first mini computer: PDP-1
1961
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
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
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
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
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
1966 The hand-held pocket calculator was invented at Texas Instruments in 1966
August 1966 Introduction of DEC PDP-9
1967
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
1978 Texas Instruments introduced Speak & Spell
1978 VisiCalc Spreadsheet is born
5th December Acorn Computers Ltd formed in Cambridge, UK
1979
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
March 1987 Macintosh II released
2nd April Windows 2 was launched
1988
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
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
1990 Introduction of IBM RS/6000
1990 Hubble Space Telescope uses 386 processor
22nd May Microsoft launches Windows 3.0
1991
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 Internet freed from Government control
6th April Microsoft Releases Windows 3.1
1993
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 Netscape Communications Corporation is founded
1995
24th August Microsoft launches Windows 95
1996 eBay is founded by Jeff Skoll and Pierre Omidyar
1996 Apple Computer buys NeXT
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
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 The Millennium bug is taken seriously
1999 Napster the first file sharing program introduced
1999 www.theoldcomputer.com is first registered
2000
17th February Microsoft launches Windows 2000
1st June Intel ES7000 server from Unisys introduced
2001
17th October Apple Launches a New Music Device - The iPod
25th October Microsoft Releases Windows XP
2002
7th November Microsoft and partners launch Tablet PC
24th April Microsoft launches Windows Server 2003
20th July Microsoft returns $75 billion to shareholders
20th October First Ubuntu Linux operating system Released
9th November Firefox 1.0 Introduced
2005 Google now indexes over 8 billion pages
25th June Microsoft announces Bill Gates transition
2007 iPhone introduced
30th January Microsoft launches Windows Vista and Office 2007
2008 The HD player war comes to an end
26th August Virus Found On Computer In Space Station
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
