The History of Computing

The History of Computing

start

Idoia Pérez

Index

Modern computers

The Internet

Early history of modern computers

Early History of Modern Computers

The History of Computing

Early History of Modern Computers

Calculators and Machines

In Ancient History, people used abacuses -manual counting frames- for simple mathematical operations.

In the Early Modern Age, Blaise Pascal invented the first mechanical adding machine in 1642. It was used for additions and substractions.

The History of Computing

Early History of Modern Computers

Calculators and Machines - Industrial Revolution

In the Industrial Revolution, factories began to make things on a very large scale.In 1801, Joseph Jacquard developed a system using punched cards to give automated instructions to the looms -machines that make fabrics-.

The History of Computing

Early History of Modern Computers

Calculators and Machines - The Industrial Revolution

In 1837, Charles Babbage developed the analytical engine -a machine which could do mathematical calculations faster than a person-. Babbage died before he finished his prototype, but other people made it.

In 1848, Ada Lovelace wrote a sequence of commands for Babbage's Analytical Engine that instructed the machine how to do more complex mathematical operations. She is considered the first computer programmer in history.

The History of Computing

Early History of Modern Computers

In 1884, Herman Hollerith built the first tabulating machine -an electromechanical machine that reads, calculates and summarises the information for many punched cards-.In 1906, the Tabulating Machine Company produced a machine with an automatic feeder and, later on, the same company produce the first tabulator that could print results.

Modern Computers

The History of Computers

Modern Computers

The first modern computers were enormous. However, over time computers became smaller and faster.

The 1960s and 1970s

The 1950s

The 1940s

Second World War

In 1953 IBMTM made a computer that used vacuum tubes instead of switches, but these computers consumed a lot of energy and occupied a lot of space. In 1958, the first integrated circuit was invented.

In 1944, Howard Aikenn of Harvard University finished building the first multi-functional computer with the help of IBMTM. It used electromagnetic switches to store information as a code -the binary code-.

During the Second World War, Alan Turing, who worked for the British military, created the first electronic computer, Colossus. It was used to break the codes used by the German armed forces.

At the end of the 1960s, the microprocessor was invented. In 1974, Intel produced a microprocessor that allowed the creation of small personal computers.

The History of Computing

Modern Computers

By the mid-1970s it was possible to make small personal computers. In the 1980s and 1990s, IBMTM was the biggest producer of business computers and smaller personal computers. Their rival, AppleTM, was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976.

The Internet

The History of Computing

The Internet

In 1942, actor Hedy Lamarr and film writer/music composer George Antheil invented and patented the technology of the Wi-Fi system we use today. In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee invented a way for any computer connect to another and called this network of computers the World Wide Web. The Internet has revolutionised communications and access to information for people around the world. The Internet is a way to transfer information from one digital device to another.

The History of Computers

The Internet

For the Internet to work, we need various pieces of connected hardware and software.

A search engine

A browser

A router

A program that looks for and identifies items online based on specific key words.

A program which allows you to look at and navigate between pages on the Internet.

A physical device that connects digital devices and allows them to send data through the Internet.

SEARCH ENGINES

BROWSERS