ABACUS

2700-2300 BCE

An ancient tool used to count and work out calculations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division etc. 2700–2300 BC saw the first appearance of the Sumerian abacus. It is still in use today in some countries.

JACQARD LOOM PUNCH CARDS

1804

An ancient tool used to count and work out calculations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division etc. 2700–2300 BC saw the first appearance of the Sumerian abacus. It is still in use today in some countries.

CHARLES BABBAGE

1791-1871

A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer, the difference engine and analytical engine.

ADA LOVELACE

1815-1852

Considered the very first computer programer, Ada Lovelace wrote down the framework for Charles Babbage’s Analytical engine that would make general purpose computers possible.

THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE

1830'S

An tool invented by Charles Babbage used to calculate complex math, specially logarithms.

THE ANALYTICAL ENGINE

1830'S

The Analytical Engine was to be a general-purpose, fully program-controlled, automatic mechanical digital computer. It was invented by Charles Babbage and it’s functions developed by Ada Lovelace. However, because of its high cost and technical complexity it was never actually built.

THE VACCUM TUBE

1910'S

An electric device that regulates the flow of electricity. Originally used for other purposes, this device would eventually become integral in the creation of digital computers.

ALAN TURING

1912-1954

Turing was highly influential in the development of theoretical computer science, providing a formalization of the concepts of algorithm and computation with the Turing machine.

Turing played a pivotal role in cracking intercepted coded messages that enabled the Allies to defeat the Nazis

TURING Machine

1936

The first theoretical computer invented by Alan Turing which showed how you could run a program using binary codes or 0s and 1s.

It is not a physical machine but rather the idea and framework of how computers could and would eventually work.

The Transistor

1947

The transistor is the fundamental building block of modern electronic devices. A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals and electrical power.

Integrated Circuit (microchip)

1958

Invented by Jack Kilby. An integrated circuit is a collection of transistors working together to process information. Practically all technology today has microchips embedded.

AARPA Net

(pre-internet)

1969

The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) was an early packet switching network and the first network to implement the protocol suite TCP/IP. It became an early precursor to the internet.