The history of computers is a long and fascinating one, spanning over several centuries. It begins with the earliest attempts to automate computation, and has culminated in the sophisticated and powerful machines that we have today. In this essay, we will explore the history of computers, from the earliest calculators to the modern-day computers that we use today.
Abacuses
The earliest devices used for computation were abacuses, which were used in ancient civilizations like the Chinese and the Greeks. These devices allowed people to perform basic arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, and multiplication. The abacus was a simple device made of beads or stones that were moved along grooves in a board, with each bead or stone representing a specific value.
Napier’s Bone
John Napier devised Napier’s Bones, a manually operated calculating apparatus. For calculating, this instrument used 9 separate ivory strips (bones) marked with numerals to multiply and divide. It was also the first machine to calculate using the decimal point system.
Mechanical Calculator
In the 17th century, the first mechanical calculator was invented by the German mathematician Wilhelm Schickard. This device was capable of performing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division using a series of gears and a set of keys. However, the device was not widely adopted and was soon forgotten.
Mechanical Computer
In the 19th century, Charles Babbage, an English mathematician and inventor, began working on a mechanical computer that he called the Analytical Engine. This machine was designed to perform complex calculations using punched cards, and it was capable of performing a wide range of mathematical operations. However, due to lack of funding and technical difficulties, Babbage was never able to complete the Analytical Engine.
Arithmometer
The first successful mechanical calculator was the Arithmometer, which was invented by the French mathematician Charles Xavier Thomas in 1820. This device was widely used in businesses and scientific institutions throughout the 19th century and was capable of performing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Electronic Computer
In the 20th century, electronic computers were developed, which revolutionized the field of computing. The first electronic computer was the Atanasoff-Berry Computer, which was invented in the 1930s by John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry. This machine used vacuum tubes to perform calculations and was capable of solving systems of linear equations.
During World War II, computers were used extensively by the military for code-breaking and other tasks. The most famous of these computers was the Enigma machine, which was used by the Germans to encrypt their communications. The British mathematician Alan Turing was instrumental in breaking the Enigma code, using a computer-like device called the Bombe.
In the post-war era, electronic computers became more powerful and more widely used. The first commercially available computer was the UNIVAC, which was built in the early 1950s by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly. This machine was used for scientific and business applications and was capable of performing calculations at a much faster rate than earlier machines.
In the 1960s and 1970s, computer technology continued to advance rapidly. The first minicomputers were developed, which were smaller and less expensive than earlier machines. These computers were used by businesses and scientific institutions for a wide range of tasks, from data processing to scientific simulations.
The development of the microprocessor in the early 1970s was a major breakthrough in computer technology. The microprocessor allowed for the creation of small, inexpensive computers that could be used by individuals and small businesses. The first microcomputer was the Altair 8800, which was released in 1975 and was sold as a do-it-yourself kit.
The 1980s and 1990s saw the widespread adoption of personal computers, which were used by individuals and businesses alike. The development of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and software applications made computers easier to use and more accessible to a wider range of people.
Today, computers are an essential part of modern life, used for everything from communication and entertainment to scientific research and business operations.
The development of the internet in the 1990s further revolutionized the way we use computers, enabling us to connect with people and information from all over the world.
The development of smartphones and other mobile devices in the early 2000s has also had a significant impact on computing. These devices allow us to access information and communicate with others on the go, and they have become an essential part of modern life for many people.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in quantum computing, which uses the principles of quantum mechanics to perform calculations. While still in its early stages, quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize computing once again, enabling us to solve problems that are currently beyond the capabilities of even the most powerful classical computers.
Evolution of computer is a story of Innovation, Creativity, and Perseverance. From the earliest abacuses to the powerful machines we have today, humans have been driven to create ever-more sophisticated tools for computation. As we continue to push the boundaries of what is possible with computing technology, it is clear that the future of computers is bound to be just as exciting and groundbreaking as its past.
When and Who Invented Computer
19th Century
1801 – Joseph Marie Jacquard, a weaver and businessman from France, devised a loom that employed punched wooden cards to automatically weave cloth designs.
1822 – Charles Babbage, a mathematician, invented the steam-powered calculating machine capable of calculating number tables. The “Difference Engine” idea failed owing to a lack of technology at the time.
1848 – The world’s first computer program was written by Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician. Lovelace also includes a step-by-step tutorial on how to compute Bernoulli numbers using Babbage’s machine.
1890 –Herman Hollerith, an inventor, creates the punch card technique used to calculate the 1880 U.S. census. He would go on to start the corporation that would become IBM.
Early 20th Century
1930 --Differential Analyzer was the first large-scale automatic general-purpose mechanical analogue computer invented and built by Vannevar Bush.
1936 --Alan Turing had an idea for a universal machine, which he called the Turing machine, that could compute anything that could be computed.
1939--Hewlett-Packard was discovered in a garage in Palo Alto, California by Bill Hewlett and David Packard.
1941 --Konrad Zuse, a German inventor and engineer, completed his Z3 machine, the world’s first digital computer. However, the machine was destroyed during a World War II bombing strike on Berlin.
1941 --J.V. Atanasoff and graduate student Clifford Berry devise a computer capable of solving 29 equations at the same time. The first time a computer can store data in its primary memory.
1945 – University of Pennsylvania academics John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert create an Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC). It was Turing-complete and capable of solving “a vast class of numerical problems” by reprogramming, earning it the title of “Grandfather of computers.”
1946 – The UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer) was the first general-purpose electronic digital computer designed in the United States for corporate applications.
1949 – The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC), developed by a team at the University of Cambridge, is the “first practical stored-program computer.”
1950 – The Standards Eastern Automatic Computer (SEAC) was built in Washington, DC, and it was the first stored-program computer completed in the United States.
Late 20th Century
1953 – Grace Hopper, a computer scientist, creates the first computer language, which becomes known as COBOL, which stands for COmmon, Business-Oriented Language. It allowed a computer user to offer the computer instructions in English-like words rather than numbers.
1954 – John Backus and a team of IBM programmers created the FORTRAN programming language, an acronym for FORmula TRANslation. In addition, IBM developed the 650.
1958 – The integrated circuit, sometimes known as the computer chip, was created by Jack Kirby and Robert Noyce.
1962 – Atlas, the computer, makes its appearance. It was the fastest computer in the world at the time, and it pioneered the concept of “virtual memory.”
1964 – Douglas Engelbart proposes a modern computer prototype that combines a mouse and a graphical user interface (GUI).
1969 – Bell Labs developers, led by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie, revealed UNIX, an operating system developed in the C programming language that addressed program compatibility difficulties.
1970 – The Intel 1103, the first Dynamic Access Memory (DRAM) chip, is unveiled by Intel.
1971 – The floppy disc was invented by Alan Shugart and a team of IBM engineers. In the same year, Xerox developed the first laser printer, which not only produced billions of dollars but also heralded the beginning of a new age in computer printing.
1973 – Robert Metcalfe, a member of Xerox’s research department, created Ethernet, which is used to connect many computers and other gear.
1974 – Personal computers were introduced into the market. The first were the Altair Scelbi & Mark-8, IBM 5100, and Radio Shack’s TRS-80.
1975 – Popular Electronics magazine touted the Altair 8800 as the world’s first minicomputer kit in January. Paul Allen and Bill Gates offer to build software in the BASIC language for the Altair.
1976 – Apple Computers is founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who expose the world to the Apple I, the first computer with a single-circuit board.
1977 – At the first West Coast Computer Faire, Jobs and Wozniak announce the Apple II. It has color graphics and a cassette drive for storing music.
1978 – The first computerized spreadsheet program, VisiCalc, is introduced.
1979 – Word Star, a word processing tool from MicroPro International, is released
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1981 – IBM unveils the Acorn, their first personal computer, which has an Intel CPU, two floppy drives, and a color display. The MS-DOS operating system from Microsoft is used by Acorn.
1983 – The CD-ROM, which could carry 550 megabytes of pre-recorded data, hit the market. This year also saw the release of the Gavilan SC, the first portable computer with a flip-form design and the first to be offered as a “laptop.”
1984 – Apple launched Macintosh during the Superbowl XVIII commercial. It was priced at $2,500
1985 – Microsoft introduces Windows, which enables multitasking via a graphical user interface. In addition, the programming language C++ has been released.
1990 – Tim Berners-Lee, an English programmer and scientist, creates Hyper Text Markup Language, widely known as HTML. He also coined the term “Worldwide-web.” It includes the first browser, a server, HTML, and URLs.
1993 – The Pentium CPU improves the usage of graphics and music on personal computers.
1995 – Microsoft’s Windows 95 operating system was released. A $300 million promotional campaign was launched to get the news out. Sun Microsystems introduces Java 1.0, followed by Netscape Communications’ JavaScript.
1996 – At Stanford University, Sergey Brin and Larry Page created the Google search engine.
1998 – Apple introduces the iMac, an all-in-one Macintosh desktop computer. These PCs cost $1,300 and came with a 4GB hard drive, 32MB RAM, a CD-ROM, and a 15-inch monitor.
1999 – Wi-Fi, an abbreviation for “wireless fidelity,” is created, originally covering a range of up to 300 feet.
21st Century
2000 – The USB flash drive is first introduced in 2000. They were speedier and had more storage space than other storage media options when used for data storage.
2001 – Apple releases Mac OS X, later renamed OS X and eventually simply macOS, as the successor to its conventional Mac Operating System.
2003 – Customers could purchase AMD’s Athlon 64, the first 64-bit CPU for consumer computers.
2004 – Facebook began as a social networking website.
2005 – Google acquires Android, a mobile phone OS based on Linux.
2006 – Apple’s MacBook Pro was available. The Pro was the company’s first dual-core, Intel-based mobile computer.
Amazon Web Services, including Amazon Elastic Cloud 2 (EC2) and Amazon Simple Storage Service, were also launched (S3)
2007 – The first iPhone was produced by Apple, bringing many computer operations into the palm of our hands. Amazon also released the Kindle, one of the first electronic reading systems, in 2007.
2009 – Microsoft released Windows 7.
2011 – Google introduces the Chromebook, which runs Google Chrome OS.
2014 – The University of Michigan Micro Mote (M3), the world’s smallest computer, was constructed.
2015 – Apple introduces the Apple Watch. Windows 10 was also released by Microsoft.
