computer history

Abacus - first device used for calculations

1. When (roughly)?

From ancient times, around 2700 to 2300 BC

2. Which civilization(s) created?

Created by ancient Chinese, Russian, European, and Eastern civilizations of mesopotamia (we don’t know).

Difference Machine/Engine

1. When? 1800s

Invented in the 1820s

2. Who created? 

Charles Babbage

3. What was it? Machine to aid calculations

They made it, but it didn’t work; modern recreations showed it would’ve worked

Charles Babbage

1. Who was he / what did he do (computer related)? Invented difference machine (construction)

He was a mathematician, engineer, and philosopher (known as the father of computers). He designed the first digital computer.

2. When? 

He was born in December of 1791 and invented the Difference Engine in the 1820s.

Lady Augusta Ada Byron

1. Who was she / what did she do (computer related)? Worked w/ babbage on the DM/E, made the programming (first programmer)

Ada Lovelace was an English mathematician known for working with Babbage’s Analytical Engine, figuring out that this machine could do more than calculations.

2. When? 

She was born in December of 1815 and made notes on the Analytical Engine known as the first computer program in 1842-1843.

Z1

1. When? 1930s

From 1936 - 1937

2. What was it? First computer

(German) Konrad Zuse’s first try was making an electronic computer with a binary-based calculator. This original attempt was not reliable and destroyed in WWII (1943), so he made other versions later. He was bored and wanted to make his job easier.

ABC Computer (John Atanasoff & Clifford Berry)

1. When? 1940s

They started working on it in 1937 and released it in 1942 (during WWII).

2. What was it? First computer?

ABC (standing for Atanasoff-Berry computer), was the first digital computer that was automatic and electronic (ALU). This computer used vacuum tubes to calculate (systems of linear equations) faster compared to previous models. It was made in Iowa (state uni), by a professor (Atanasoff) and his graduate student (Berry). Thought to be the first, but when checking the date, z1 was technically first but unknown at first.

Harvard MARK I

1. When? 1940s

It was released on August 7, 1944 (towards the end of WWII)

2. What was it? Early mainframe computer, used for ballistics in WWII (manhattan project for A-Bomb) 

It was an early electromechanical computer (gears), also known as Bessy, or Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC). It also calculated and printed mathematical tables (which the difference engine wanted to do). No computers, so no companies, so it was made in universities

Grace Hopper

1. Who was she / what did she do (computer related)? Computer pioneer in the navy, coined “bug”, inventor of Harvard mark i, 

She was one the first programmer on the Harvard Mark I and she is a mathematician, computer scientist, and in the Navy. She created the theory of machine-independent programming, was part of the team developing UNIVAC, and made a programming language that is still used today (COBOL).

2. When? 1940s-1960s

She was born in the early 1900s (1906) and died in 1992. In the 1950s and 1960s, she led the Department for automatic programming and created COBOL, an English-based programming language.

Alan Turing

1. Who was he / what did he do? British scientist / mathematician, father of modern computer science, created he british mark i

He was a computer scientist, mathematician, biologist, and philosopher. He is known for creating the Automatic Computing Engine and the Turing Test - basis for ai. made initial advances in ai

2. When?  1940s

The computer was made in 1945-1947, and he developed the Turing Test in 1948. Born in 1912

3. What is the “Turing Test”? Human vs machine?

It was a test to see how intelligent a computer can be by testing whether it sounds human in a conversation. It was one of the first things done related to artificial intelligence.

ENIAC

1. When? 1940s

It was made and started being used in 1945.

2. What was it? Early mainframe computer that helped w/ calculations + military purposes (ballistic tables)

It was the first programmable digital computer that was also electronic and for general purposes. (found at Upenn)

3. What does ENIAC stand for?

Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer

UNIVAC

1. When? 1950s (post WWII)

It started in 1946.

2. What was it? First commercially available computer

It was a data processing computer for business / commercial use.

3. What does UNIVAC stand for?

Universal Automatic Computer

Four generations of computer components - what are they?

1. 1940-1956 (1940s): Vacuum tubes

2. 1956-1963 (1950s): transistors

3. 1964-1971 (1960s): integrated circuits

4. 1971-now (1970s and after): microprocessor (microchip)

Early video games

1. When? 1950s

It was created in 1958.

2. What was the first?

It was called Tennis for Two.

Early Internet

1. When? 1960s

October 29, 1969

2. Why was it developed? To prevent data loss in the case of a nuclear attack (DARPANet)

It was developed because of military / government reasons (like sharing information during the Cold War).

Early Operating Systems

1. What is “DOS”?

Disk Operating System - it controls hardware and allows the software to run. It uses a disk drive instead of a punch card.

2. First version of Windows, when? 1980s

November 20, 1985

Early Software

1. Name of first spreadsheet, and when?

It was called VisiCalc, and it was made in 1979 (1980s).

2. Name of first word processor, and when? WordStar - 1980s

It was called Electric Pencil and was made in 1976 by Michael Shrayer Software. 

3. First version of Office?

The first version was called Word 1.0 and was made in 1983 (1990s).

Early Personal Computers

List five computer manufacturers from the late 1970s and early 1980s and when

1. IBM

2. Apple - April 11, 1976

3. Texas Instruments - 1981

4. Atari - 1977

5. Commodore

Early Peripherals

1. First mouse? 1960s - made of wood

Douglas Engelbart created the first mouse.

2. First keyboard?

Christopher Latham Sholes created the first QWERTY keyboard, and John Pratt made the first typewriter.

3. First printer? 1930s

Johannes Gutenberg invented the first printing press. In 1977, Benny Landa made the first digital printer.

Early Internet Browsers

1. First internet browser? 1980s/1990s

In 1990, Berners Lee made the first internet browser (WorldWideWeb/Nexus)

2. First Internet Explorer? 1995 bundled with Windows 95

Released on August 24, 1995, the Microsoft Internet Explorer became the first internet explorer.

Early storage media / devices

1. First floppy disk? 1970s

IBM made it in California in 1967. In 1971 it was 8” and used for word processing systems / personal computers.

2. First hard drive? 1950s

IBM Model 350 Disk File in 1956. It weighed over a ton and was able to hold 3.75MB of data.

3. First CD-Rom? 1980s

In 1983, it was made by Sony and Philips (called Yellow Book).

4. First DVD? 1990s

In November 1, 1996, the first DVD was released in Japan.

5. First flash drive? 2000s

Trek 2000 International was invented in Singapore at IBM in 1999 (it was USB).

William H. Gates, III

1. Who / what did he do?

Bill Gates cofounded Microsoft (with Paul Allen).

Steve Paul Jobs

1. Who / what did he do?

He cofounded Apple, and founded NeXT, and is a major shareholder of Pixar.

2. When?

April 1, 1976