History of Computers and Information Technology

Flashcards covering key milestones, inventors, operating systems, and emerging technologies from the history of computing presentation.

What name is given to the era brought about by the development of ICT, computers, software, telecommunications, and the internet?

The "Third Industrial Revolution" or "Information Age"

Who is recognized as the "Father of the Computer"?

Charles Babbage

What programmable machine did Charles Babbage design in the 1830s to perform mathematical calculations automatically?

The Analytical Engine

What invention did Joseph Marie Jacquard introduce in 1801 that used punched cards to control operation?

A loom controlled by punched cards

What punch-card system was developed for the 1890 U.S. Census, and what company did its founder's business eventually become?

Herman Hollerith's punch-card system, which processed the census data in 3 years and later became IBM

What theoretical concept did Alan Turing introduce in 1936 that laid a major foundation for modern computing?

The Universal Machine (known as the Turing Machine)

What key capability distinguished the computer developed by John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry in 1941?

It could solve 29 equations simultaneously and stored information in its main memory

Who built the ENIAC in 1943–1944, and roughly how many vacuum tubes did it contain?

John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert; it used about 18,000 vacuum tubes

What was the significance of the UNIVAC, developed in 1946 by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert?

It was the first commercial computer created for business and government applications

Who invented the transistor in 1947?

William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain

What programming language developed in 1953 with the help of Grace Hopper used English-like words for business applications?

COBOL

What does FORTRAN stand for, and who led the IBM team that created it in 1954/1957?

Formula Translation; led by John Backus

What two technologies were demonstrated by Douglas Engelbart in 1964 to improve user experience?

An early computer mouse and a graphical user interface (GUI)

Who developed the integrated circuit (computer chip) in 1968?

Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce

What operating system was created at Bell Labs in 1969 to address compatibility issues across different computer systems?

UNIX

What memory component did Intel introduce in 1970 as a cheaper and lower-power alternative to older technologies?

Intel 1103 Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DRAM) chip

Who led the IBM team that developed the floppy disk in 1971?

Alan Shugart

Who developed Ethernet technology at Xerox in 1973?

Robert Metcalfe

On what date was Microsoft established by Bill Gates and Paul Allen?

April 4, 1975

How was the Apple I computer built when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak introduced it in 1976?

It was built on a single circuit board

What new capabilities did the Apple II introduce in 1977?

Color graphics and cassette storage

What was VisiCalc, introduced in 1978?

The first popular computerized spreadsheet program

What early word-processing software was released in 1979 to enable document writing and editing on computers?

WordStar

Which operating system was featured on the original IBM PC introduced in 1981?

Microsoft MS-DOS

What was the first ".com" domain name registered in 1985?

Symbolics.com

Who created HTML at CERN in 1990, leading to the development of the World Wide Web?

Tim Berners-Lee

Who created the Google search engine at Stanford University in 1996?

Larry Page and Sergey Brin

How much financial investment did Microsoft make in Apple in 1997?

$150 million

What landmark user metric did Facebook reach in 2012?

1 billion users

What was the objective of DARPA's Molecular Informatics program initiated in 2017?

To explore using molecules to store and process information beyond traditional binary 0s and 1s

Which emerging technology automates repetitive business tasks through software?

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)