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History
 Websites presented in alphabetical order Abacus to ENIAC: Highlights in the History of Computing 
 Brief timeline listing important events in the development of computing devices, ending in 1946 when ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), the first general-purpose electronic computer, was unveiled. Computing devices include the abacus, the quipu, Blaise Pascal's invention of an adding machine in 1642, Joseph Marie Jacquard's work on an automatic loom using punch cards in the early 1800s, and more. From PennPrintout, The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine. http://www.upenn.edu/computing/printout/archive/v12/4/abacus.html Topics: Computers Last updated Aug 13, 2008 AlanTuring.net: The Turing Archive for the History of Computing
Alan Turing (1912-1954) "contributed to mathematics, cryptanalysis, logic, philosophy, biology, and formatively to computer science, cognitive science, Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Life." This site presents a "collection of digital facsimiles of original documents by Turing and other pioneers of computing." Includes a biography and photographs of Turing, articles browsable by subject and year, and reference materials covering the Turing machine, Turing's involvement in deciphering Hitler’s "Enigma" code, his persecution for being homosexual, and more. http://www.alanturing.net/ Topics: Computers, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgendered People, History By Place, Mathematics, Notable People, Photograph Collections, Technology Last updated Sep 29, 2004 The Babbage Engine
In this exhibit about the first designed automatic computing machine known as the Babbage engine, "learn more about this extraordinary object, its designer Charles Babbage and the team of people who undertook to build it." The first complete Babbage Engine "was completed in London in 2002, 153 years after it was designed." Includes diagrams and photos, a video clip, and a collection of biographies of key people. From the Computer History Museum. http://www.computerhistory.org/babbage/ Topics: Computers Last updated Aug 13, 2008 BarCode 1
Information on various bar codes, including the UPC (Universal Product Code), the EAN (the European Article Numbering system), and the Zip + 4 Postal Code. Provides a history of barcodes, a glossary, and an explanation of barcode readers. From an author and editor of technical publications. http://www.adams1.com/ Topics: Computers, Computers Last updated Nov 22, 2008 Charles Babbage Institute (CBI)
This archive and research center, located at the University of Minnesota, is "dedicated to promoting study of the history of information technology and information processing and their impact on society." The site contains searchable catalogs of CBI collections of oral histories, photographs, manuscripts, and other materials; bibliographies; links to related resources; online exhibits; and more. http://www.cbi.umn.edu/ Topics: Computers, Computers, Nonfiction by Genre, Photograph Collections: Regional: United States Last updated Jan 17, 2006 Charles Babbage Institute Collections: Burroughs Photo Database
Database of hundreds of historical images from the Burroughs Corporation, "once the nation's largest manufacturer of adding machines and, later, a major computer company." The photos span the "visual history of Burroughs from its origin as the American Arithmometer Corporation in 1886 to its merger with the Sperry Corporation to form the Unisys Corporation in 1986." From the Charles Babbage Institute at the University of Minnesota. http://www.cbi.umn.edu/images/ Topics: Computers Last updated Jan 23, 2007 Classic Computer Magazine Archive
This site presents the full text of early personal computing magazines, including images and advertisements. Includes dozens of issues from the 1970s to the early 1990s from Antic, STart, Hi-Res, Creative Computing, Creative Computing Video and Arcade Games, Compute!, and Tandy Computer Whiz Kids. Also includes brief biographies of Antic and STart writers. Searchable and browsable. http://www.atarimagazines.com/ Topics: Computers, Computers, Libraries & Archives by Type, Magazines Last updated Aug 10, 2009 A Computer Is Born
Special report about the creation of ENIAC, or Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, which was unveiled in February 1946 at the University of Pennsylvania. Topics include the roots of ENIAC during World War II (with the need to predict the trajectory of shells), the use of vacuum tube devices in calculating, and how programming was largely done by women. Includes sound clips and a related report on the politics invention. From CNET. http://news.cnet.com/2009-1006_3-6037980.html Topics: Computers Last updated Jul 30, 2008 Computer Museum History Center
Exhibits at this searchable Web site include A History of the Internet: 1962-1992 , Microprocessor Evolution: 1971-1996 , and a Hall of Fellows with brief biographies of notable men and women associated with computers and the Internet. There are also images of artifacts, a timeline, and links to transcripts and/or media streams of past museum lectures and other events. The museum is located on Moffett Field in Mountain View, CA. http://www.computerhistory.org/ Topics: Computers, Internet, Museums by Place: United States Last updated Mar 16, 2002 Computer Museum of America
This museum in La Mesa, California, celebrates the early development of the computer. It features images and information about historic computers and calculators, a FAQ about the invention of the computer, and a 1973 IBM Speakers Bureau slide show. Includes a link to the Computer Hall of Fame with information about computer innovators. Also includes links to related sites. Searchable. http://www.computer-museum.org Topics: Computers, Museums by Place: United States Last updated Dec 22, 2004 The ENIAC Museum Online
Website created on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) which was introduced on February 14, 1946, at the University of Pennsylvania. Provides material about three preceding technologies (mechanical brains, such as the slide rule, the vacuum tube, and punch cards), ENIAC inventors John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert, how ENIAC functions, and computer applications. From the School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania. http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~museum/ Topics: Computers Last updated Feb 7, 2008 FAQ: Forty Years of Moore's Law
"This FAQ explains the impact and consequences of the principles set down" in Intel co-founder Gordon Moore's April 19, 1965, article in which he observed that "the number of transistors ... on a chip can be doubled in a short period of time." This observation is known as Moore's Law. Includes photos, diagrams, and links to related articles. From CNET News.com. http://news.cnet.com/FAQ-Forty-years-of-Moores-Law/2100-1006_3-5647824.html?tag=nl Topics: Computers, Industries, Technology Last updated Aug 12, 2008 Google Groups: 20 Year Usenet Timeline
A timeline of "especially memorable articles and threads" in Usenet discussion groups from 1981 forward, compiled from several significant Usenet archival resources. Includes first mentions of MTV and Star Wars, early references to emoticons, the first thread about AIDS, and more. http://www.google.com/googlegroups/archive_announce_20.html Topics: Computers, Computers, Internet, Internet Guides & Search Tools Last updated Jan 12, 2005 Grace Murray Brewster Hopper
Web page with links to pictures, a poster, and other sites of interest on this first woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics from Yale. She led the charge to create the COBOL computer programming language, coined the term computer "bug," developed the first computer compiler, and received the first Computer Sciences "Man of the Year" award. Computer pioneer, teacher, and visionary, Rear Admiral Hopper was a "diminutive fire storm of a human being." http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Hopper.html Topics: Computers, Computers, Notable People Last updated Oct 2, 2004 An Illustrated History of Computers
This four-part illustrated essay traces the development of computers from ancient times to the present. The site notes that "the first computers were people," and that "electronic computers (and the earlier mechanical computers) were given this name because they performed the work that had previously been assigned to people." Topics include the abacus, Napier's Bones, the Pascaline, Charles Babbage's difference engine, and early personal electronic computers. From the developer of a computer programming curriculum. http://www.computersciencelab.com/ComputerHistory/History.htm Topics: Computers Last updated Aug 13, 2008 Intel: Silicon: Moore's Law
Information about the observation made in 1965 by Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, that the number of transistors on a chip will double "about every two years." Includes a timeline of the transistor (1947-2007), a brief biography of Moore, and related material. From Intel Corporation. http://www.intel.com/technology/mooreslaw/?iid=SEARCH Topics: Computers, Industries, Technology Last updated May 28, 2009 John W. Mauchly and the Development of the ENIAC Computer
"A history of the emergence of modern computing as seen through the eyes of one of its two principal inventors." In the 1940s, Mauchly, with J. Presper Eckert (1919-1995), was instrumental in the development of ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), "the first large-scale general-purpose electronic computer" and predecessor to UNIVAC. A biography of both Mauchly and ENIAC from the University of Pennsylvania Library. http://oldsite.library.upenn.edu/special/gallery/mauchly/jwmintro.html Topics: Computers, Computers Last updated Jul 4, 2005 Microsoft Visitor Center
Describes exhibits at the visitor center on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington state. Features a timeline documenting turning points in the company's history and offers information for students, such as biographies of Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, "Fast Facts About Microsoft," the company's annual report, and links to instructional resources. http://www.microsoft.com/about/companyinformation/visitorcenter/ Topics: Business, Computers, Computers Last updated Feb 12, 2007 NerdTV
"NerdTV is a new [2005] weekly online TV show from PBS.org [with] technology columnist Robert X. Cringely. NerdTV is ... a one-hour interview show with a single guest from the world of technology." The site features an archive with full shows (video and audio) and transcripts for guests such as "Andy Hertzfeld, the original Macintosh systems programmer" and Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive. From the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). http://www.pbs.org/cringely/nerdtv/ Topics: Computers, Technology Last updated Dec 1, 2005 Obsolete Computer Museum
For those who owned computers way back in their infancy, this is the place to remember those great old machines from Tandy, Commodore, Atari, and more. Each entry includes a photograph of the computer along with a description. This is also a site for computer historians and trivia buffs. http://www.obsoletecomputermuseum.org/ Topics: Computers, Computers Last updated Jul 14, 2000 U.S. Census Bureau Facts for Features: 53rd Anniversary of the UNIVAC Computer
In honor of UNIVAC I, the world's first commercial computer, "this edition of Facts for Features examines how ingrained the computer has become in American society." Includes statistics about computer usage and photos. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/001784.html Topics: Computers, Holidays and Observances Individually, Statistics Last updated Jul 6, 2004 www.apple-history.com
Presents a history of Apple Computer, Inc., from the invention of the Apple I in 1976 through the present day. Includes photos and specifications of Apple computers (browsable by date, family, and processor), and related links. http://www.apple-history.com/ Topics: Computers, Computers Last updated May 25, 2004 |
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