Editing Timeline of computing 1950–1979 (section)

== 1970s ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date
! Place
! class="unsortable" | Event
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1970-10|Oct 1970}}
| US
| First [[DRAM#History|dynamic RAM]] chip introduced by [[Intel]]. It was called the [[Intel 1103|1103]] and had a capacity of 1&nbsp;Kbit, 1024 bits.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1970|1970}}
| US
| Programming language [[Forth (programming language)|Forth]] developed. A simple, clean, stack-based design, which later inspired [[PostScript]] and the [[Java virtual machine]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1971|1971}}
| US
| [[Datapoint|CTC]] ships the [[Datapoint 2200]], a mass-produced programmable terminal. Its multi-chip CPU provided the basis for the [[Intel 8008]]. A monitor and cassette drives were built-in, and the entire system fit the approximate footprint of an [[IBM]] [[Selectric]] [[typewriter]]. Users quickly began to use the system as a standalone computer{{Snd}}one of the earliest to arguably qualify as a [[personal computer]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1971|1971}}
| US
| Release of [[HP 9800 series]], a series of [[desktop computer]]s from [[Hewlett-Packard]], replacing their first model, the [[Hewlett-Packard 9100A]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1971|1971}}
| US
| [[Kenbak-1]] ships. This small, cheap (US$750) personal computer, built using pre-microprocessor TTL technology, is one clear candidate for "first personal computer", and is so considered by the Computer History Museum and the American Computer Museum.<ref>{{citation |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34639183 |title=The man who made 'the world's first personal computer' |date=6 November 2015 |access-date=21 July 2018 |archive-date=23 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323162933/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34639183 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1971|1971}}
| US
| [[Ray Tomlinson]] develops the first program that can send [[email]] messages, via the Arpanet, between people using different computers. (Programs existed previously that could send such messages between users logging onto the same computer.)
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1971-11-15|15&nbsp;Nov 1971}}
| US
| The [[Intel 4004]], the first commercially available [[microprocessor]], is released. It contains the equivalent of 2,300 transistors and was a [[4-bit computing|4-bit]] processor. It is capable of around 60,000 instructions per second (0.06&nbsp;MIPS), running at a maximum clock speed of 740&nbsp;[[Hertz|kHz]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1971|1971}}
| 
| [[8-inch floppy disk]] introduced.<ref name="CornellTimeline">{{cite web|url=http://www.dpworkshop.org/dpm-eng/timeline/viewall.html|title=Digital Preservation and Technology Timeline|author=Cornell University Library|author-link=Cornell University Library|year=2003|work=Digital Preservation Management|location=US|access-date=2017-12-07|archive-date=2015-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150806054331/http://www.dpworkshop.org/dpm-eng/timeline/viewall.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1972|1972}}
| US
| [[Texas Instruments]] releases its first single-chip electronic calculator, the TI-2500 Datamath.<ref>{{cite web |title=50 Yeas of Innovation |url=https://education.ti.com/en/snapapp/timeline |publisher=Texas Instruments |access-date=5 March 2025}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1972|1972}}
| US
| [[Atari]] founded by [[Nolan Bushnell]] and [[Ted Dabney]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1972|1972}}
| US
| [[Pong]] released{{Snd}}widely recognised as the first popular arcade video game. It was invented by [[Allan Alcorn]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1972|1972}}
| ?
| Computers built after 1972 are often called ''fourth-generation'' computers, based on LSI ([[Large Scale Integration]]) of circuits (such as microprocessors){{Snd}}typically 500 or more components on a chip. Later developments include [[VLSI]] (Very Large Scale Integration) of integrated circuits 5 years later{{Snd}}typically 10,000 components. The fourth generation is generally viewed as running right up until the present,{{When|date=July 2021}} since although computing power has increased the basic technology has remained virtually the same.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1972|1972}}
| US
| Programming language [[C (programming language)|C]] developed at The [[Bell Laboratories]] in the US.

Dennis Ritchie, one of the inventors of the [[Unix]] operating system, simplifies [[BCPL]] into a language he calls B, then iterates B into C. It is a very popular language, especially for systems programming{{Snd}}as it is flexible and fast. C was considered a refreshing change in the computing field because it helped introduce [[structured programming]]. Inspired by C, [[C++]], was introduced in the 1980s, and in turn helped usher in the era of [[object-oriented programming]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1972|1972}}
| US
| Hewlett-Packard releases the [[HP-35]], the first handheld scientific calculator. This makes the engineer's [[slide rule]] obsolete.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1972-04-01|1&nbsp;Apr 1972}}
| US
| The first commercial 8-bit [[microprocessor]], the [[Intel 8008|8008]], is released by Intel.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1972|1972}}
| [[Norway|NOR]]
| [[Norsk Data]] launches the Nord-5, the first [[32-bit computing|32-bit]] [[superminicomputer|supermini]] computer.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1972|1972}}
| US
| In 1972–1973, IBM Los Gatos Scientific Center developed a [[portable computer]] prototype called SCAMP (Special Computer APL Machine Portable) based on the [[IBM PALM processor]] with a [[Philips]] compact cassette drive, small [[cathode-ray tube|CRT]] and full function keyboard. SCAMP [[emulator|emulated]] an [[IBM 1130]] minicomputer in order to run APL\1130.<ref name="www03.ibm.com">[http://www03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/pc/pc_1.html IBM Archives] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20030210111221/http://www03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/pc/pc_1.html |date=2003-02-10 }}</ref> Because it was the first to emulate APL\1130 performance on a portable, single-user computer, ''[[PC Magazine]]'' in 1983 designated SCAMP a "revolutionary concept" and "the world's first personal computer".<ref name="www03.ibm.com"/><ref name="friedl198311">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q8fwTt09_MEC&pg=RA1-PA190 | title=SCAMP: The Missing Link In The PC's Past? | work=PC | date=November 1983 | access-date=8 January 2015 | author=Friedl, Paul J. | pages=190–197 | archive-date=27 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027212712/https://books.google.com/books?id=q8fwTt09_MEC&pg=RA1-PA190 | url-status=live }}</ref> The prototype is in the [[Smithsonian Institution]].
|-
| 1973
| UK
| [[Clifford Cocks]] invents a [[public-key cryptography]] algorithm equivalent to what would become (in 1978) the [[RSA (algorithm)|RSA algorithm]] while working at the [[Government Communications Headquarters]] (GCHQ).<ref>{{Cite web|title=British Document Outlines Early Encryption Discovery|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/122497encrypt.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-12|website=archive.nytimes.com|quote=The set of algorithms, equations and arcane mathematics that make up public key cryptography are a crucial technology for preserving computer privacy in and making commerce possible on the Internet. Some hail its discovery as one of the most important accomplishments of 20th-century mathematics because it allows two people to set up a secure phone call without meeting beforehand. Without it, there would be no privacy in cyberspace.|archive-date=2021-05-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508132441/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/122497encrypt.html}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1973|1973}}
| US
| [[Xerox Alto]], a powerful personal computer with bitmapped [[graphical user interface]], deployed at [[Xerox Palo Alto Research Center]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1973|1973}}
| [[France|FRA]]
| Microcomputer [[Micral N]], developed in 1973 by Frenchman [[François Gernelle]], of the company R2E. it will be officially recognized as "the first microcomputer marketed in the world" by [[Steve Wozniak]] (the designer of the Apple 1) who was in 1986 a member of the jury of an international competition in the United States.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1973|1973}}
| US
| [[University College London]]'s interconnection of the U.S. [[ARPANET]] and [[Internet in the United Kingdom#History|British academic networks]] establishes the first international heterogenous computer network.<ref name="Early experiences with the Arpanet">{{cite journal |last1=Kirstein |first1=P.T. |date=1999 |title=Early experiences with the Arpanet and Internet in the United Kingdom |journal=IEEE Annals of the History of Computing |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=38–44 |doi=10.1109/85.759368 |s2cid=1558618}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1973|1973}}
| US
| Development of the [[Transmission Control Program]] began by a group led by [[Vinton Cerf]] and [[Robert E. Kahn]]. Its eventual evolution into a protocol suite for [[internetworking]] enabled a network-of-networks to form the [[Internet]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1973|1973}}
| [[France|FRA]]
| Programming language [[Prolog]] developed at the University of Luminy-Marseilles in France by [[Alain Colmerauer]]. It introduced the new paradigm of logical programming and is often used for expert systems and AI programming.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1973|1973}}
| US
| The [[TV Typewriter]], designed by [[Don Lancaster]], displayed alphanumeric information on an ordinary television set. It used US$120 worth of electronics components. The original design included two memory boards and could generate and store 512 characters as 16 lines of 32 characters. A 90-minute cassette tape provided supplementary storage for about 100 pages of text. 
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1973|1973}}
| US
| [[Ethernet]] developed. This became a popular way of connecting PCs and other computers together{{Snd}}to enable them to share data, and devices such as printers. A group of machines connected together in this way is known as a [[local area network|LAN]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1974|1974}}
| UK
| Clip 4, the first computer with a parallel image-processing architecture, is implemented with 9,216 processors.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fountain |first1=T J |title=Clip 4 parallel processing system |journal=IEEE Proceedings |date=September 1980 |volume=127 |issue=5 |pages=219–224 |url=https://pages.jh.edu/aandreo1/216/Bibliography/Systems/Processors/CLIP/Fountain_Iee%20Proc-E_1980.pdf |access-date=5 March 2025}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1974|1974}}
| [[Canada|CAN]]
| The [[MCM/70]], a candidate for first personal computer, is released by Micro Computer Machines of Canada. It failed commercially, despite weighing just 20 pounds and featuring a plasma display and a ROM-based [[APL (programming language)|APL programming language]] interpreter.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1974-04-01|1&nbsp;Apr 1974}}
| US
| Introduction of the [[Intel 8080]]. It ran at a clock frequency of 2&nbsp;[[Megahertz|MHz]] and did 0.64&nbsp;[[million instructions per second|MIPS]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1974|1974}}
| US
| [[Motorola]] announces the MC[[Motorola 6800|6800]] [[8-bit computing|8-bit]] microprocessor. It is easier to implement than the 8080 because it only needs a single power supply to operate and does not need support chips. Unlike the 8080 it is sold not as much as a general-purpose "number cruncher / computer" CPU but more as a control processor for industrial control and as a peripheral processor.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1974|1974}}
| US
| Engineers [[Chuck Peddle]] and [[Bill Mensch]] leave [[Motorola]] after completing work on the [[Motorola 6800|6800]] [[Central processing unit|CPU]] and join [[MOS Technology]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1975|1975}}
| Italy
| [[Olivetti]] released the personal computer [[Olivetti P6060]], the first with an integrated [[floppy disk]] drive. It was designed by [[Pier Giorgio Perotto]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1974-10-09|9&nbsp;Oct 1974}}
| UK
| [[International Computers Limited|ICL]] launches its New Range of mainframes, the [[ICL 2900 Series]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1975|1975}}
| US
| The [[Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems|MITS]] [[Altair 8800]], the first commercially successful hobby computer, is released. An article in ''[[Popular Electronics]]'' (January 1975), described the computer and invited people to order kits. Despite the limited processing power, input/output system ([[blinkenlights]] and toggle switches) and memory (256 bytes), around 200 were ordered on the first day. 10,000 units were eventually shipped at a kit price of US$397 each. Numerous companies produced clones based on the "S-100 bus" (the Altair's main bus).
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1975|1975}}
| US
| First microcomputer implementation of [[BASIC]] by [[Bill Gates]] and [[Paul Allen]]. It was written for the MITS Altair. This led to the formation of [[Microsoft]] later in the year.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1975|1975}}
| US
| [[Unix]] marketed (see 1969).
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1975|1975}}
| [[Norway|NOR]]
| [[Norway|Norwegian]] company [[Mycron]] releases its [[MYCRO-1]], the first [[single-board computer]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1975|1975}}
| US
| Formation of [[Microsoft]] by [[Bill Gates]] and [[Paul Allen]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1975|1975}}
| US
| [[MOS Technology]] releases their [[MOS Technology 6501|6501]] CPU. which is [[pin-compatible]] with [[Motorola 6800|Motorola's 6800]], who soon starts a lawsuit against them. The 6501 is quickly withdrawn from sale and replaced with the [[MOS Technology 6502|6502]] which has a "lawsuit-compatible"{{Efn|group=note|See [[6502 microprocessor#History and use|6502 microprocessor history]]}} design, but is otherwise nearly identical to the 6501. The 6502 becomes one of the most popular CPUs for the next 10 years and is used in many computers and game consoles (most notably the [[Atari 2600]], [[Apple II]], [[Commodore PET]], [[VIC-20]], [[Commodore 64]], [[BBC Micro]], and [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]).
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1975|1975}}
| US
| [[IBM 5100]] computer released; with integrated keyboard, display, and mass storage on tape, it resembles the [[personal computer]]s of a few years later, although it does not use a [[microprocessor]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1975|1975}}
| Italy
| The laboratory [[CSELT]] released [[MUSA (MUltichannel Speaking Automaton)]], an early experiment of [[Speech Synthesis]]. It was able to read and sing Italian with multiple voices ([[a cappella]]).
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1975-11|Nov 1975}}
| US
| [[Zilog]] is founded by ex-Intel employees.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1976-04-01|1&nbsp;Apr 1976}}
| US
| [[Apple Computer]], Inc. founded, to market the [[Apple I]] single-board computer designed by [[Steve Wozniak]] and [[Steve Jobs]]. It uses the [[MOS Technology 6502]] microprocessor.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1976|1976}}
| US
| First [[laser printer]] introduced by IBM{{Snd}}the IBM 3800. The first colour versions came onto the market in 1988.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1976|1976}}
| US
| Introduction of the [[Intel 8085]] chip. An improved version of the 8080, with a modest superset of the 8080s instruction set consisting of only two new documented instructions. Single 5V power supply (while the 8080 needed three different voltages).
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1976|1976}}
| US
| [[Zilog Z80|Z80]] chip released by Zilog. It was a superset of the 8080 chip with additional registers and instructions, and using only one power supply voltage. [[CP/M]] was originally written for the 8080, but many implementations used the Z80. The Z80 was the processor for home computers like the [[Tandy computer|Tandy]] [[TRS-80]] of 1977, the Sinclair [[ZX Spectrum]] of 1982 and many others.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1976|1976}}
| US
| [[MOS Technology]] introduces the [[KIM-1]] microcomputer system as a demonstrator for its [[MOS Technology 6502|6502]] CPU.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1976|1976}}
| US
| [[Cray-1]] supercomputer was invented by [[Seymour Cray]]. He left [[Control Data]] in 1972 to form his own company. This machine was known as much for its horseshoe-shaped design as it was for being the first supercomputer to make [[vector processing]] practical. 85 were shipped at a cost of US$5 million each.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1976|1976}}
| US
| [[Commodore International|Commodore]] buys [[MOS Technology]] in a stock trade. MOS is valued at US$12 million. [[Chuck Peddle]] joins Commodore as chief engineer. With the purchase of MOS, Commodore begins work on the [[Commodore PET]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1976|1976}}
| US
| [[Emacs]] text editing software created.<ref name=ford2014 />{{Clarify|reason=Development begun, development finished, or released?|date=July 2021}}
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1976|1976}}
| 
| "[[5.25 inch floppy disks]] are introduced. When this product reaches the PC market it causes an explosive growth in digital information storage."<ref name=CornellTimeline />
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1977|1977}}
| US
| [[Commodore International|Commodore]] introduces the [[Commodore PET]]. It comes with 4&nbsp;KB or 8&nbsp;KB of RAM, and an integrated cassette deck and 9" monochrome monitor.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1977|1977}}
| US
| {{Blockquote|text=There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.{{context inline|date=July 2021}}|author=[[Ken Olsen]], founder, president, and chairman of [[Digital Equipment Corporation]]}}
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1977-06-05|5&nbsp;Jun 1977}}
| US
| [[Apple II]] computer introduced based on an 8-bit [[MOS Technology]] [[MOS Technology 6502|6502]] microprocessor running at 1&nbsp;MHz with 4&nbsp;KB of [[Random Access Memory|RAM]]. It had an [[open architecture]], used color graphics, and an audio cassette interface for loading programs and storing data. Later, in July 1978, a floppy disk drive was made available with an elegantly designed interface.<ref>{{cite web |author=Weyhrich |first=Steven |date=28 December 2001 |title=Apple II History Chapter 5, The Disk II |url=http://apple2history.org/history/ah05.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061201122002/http://apple2history.org/history/ah05.html |archive-date=1 December 2006 |access-date=27 November 2008}}</ref><ref name=null2007>{{citation |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/130207/article.html?page=0 |date=April 2007 |work=[[PC World]] |location=US |title=50 Best Tech Products of All Time |author=Christopher Null |author-link=Christopher Null |access-date=2015-08-15 |archive-date=2015-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722090601/http://www.pcworld.com/article/130207/article.html?page=0 |url-status=live }}</ref> One of the first examples of a "[[killer app]]" (for the business world) was released for it{{Snd}}the [[VisiCalc]] spreadsheet program{{Snd}}in 1979.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1977-08|Aug 1977}}
| US
| [[Tandy Corporation|Tandy]] brought out the [[TRS-80]] with "[[Level I BASIC]]". Despite simple black-and-white graphics, thanks to the nationwide chain of [[Radio Shack]] stores, it became a bestseller quickly.{{Explain|reason=What did the Radio Shack stores have to do with its sales?|date=July 2021}}
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1977-09|Sep 1977}}
| US
| [[Heathkit]] made the [[Heathkit H-8|H8]] Home computer kit available. It was based on an Intel 8080A processor and shipped with HDOS (Heathkit Disk Operating System) and Benton Harbor BASIC.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1978|1978}}
| US
| Tandy upgraded the TRS-80 with a much improved [[Microsoft]] 8K "Level II BASIC", and an "expansion interface" which added 32&nbsp;KB RAM, A floppy disk and a printer interface. With these extras the TRS-80 became a viable small business computer.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1978-06|Jun 1978}}
| US
| Introduction of the [[Speak & Spell (toy)|Speak & Spell]] [[educational toy]] by [[Texas Instruments]]. It consisted of a [[linear predictive coding]] [[Speech synthesis|speech synthesizer]], a keyboard, and an alphanumeric [[vacuum fluorescent display]]. It had a vocabulary of 200 words stored in its internal 32K byte ROM.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1978-06-08|8&nbsp;Jun 1978}}
| US
| Introduction of the 16-bit [[Intel 8086]], the first [[x86]] microprocessor. The available clock frequencies were 5, 8 and 10&nbsp;MHz, with an [[X86 instruction listings|instruction set]] of about 300{{citation needed|date = May 2015}} operations. At its introduction, the fastest 8086 available was the 8&nbsp;MHz version which achieved 0.8&nbsp;MIPS and contained 29,000 transistors. Over three decades later, x86 remains the most popular and commercially successful [[instruction set architecture]] in the history of personal computing.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1978|1978}}
| [[Japan|JAP]]
| The arcade video game ''[[Space Invaders]]'' is released, sparking a video game craze. In 1979, Atari's ''Asteroids'' would prove to be incredibly popular.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1979|1979}}
| US
| Programming language [[Ada (programming language)|Ada]] introduced by [[Jean Ichbiah]] and team at [[Honeywell]] for the US Department of Defense.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1979-06-01|1&nbsp;Jun 1979}}
| US
| Introduction of the Intel 8088, compatible with the 8086 with an 8-bit data bus{{Snd}}but this makes it cheaper to implement in computers. Chosen for the [[IBM PC]], Intel processors were found in millions of [[IBM PC compatible]] computers.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1979|1979}}
| UK
| [[Commodore PET]] released in the United Kingdom. Based on a 1&nbsp;MHz 6502 processor it displayed monochrome text and had 8&nbsp;KB of RAM. Priced £569. A version with 16&nbsp;KB of RAM cost £776, while 32&nbsp;KB of RAM cost £914.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1979|1979}}
| [[Netherlands|NED]]<br />[[Japan|JAP]]
| [[Compact disc]] was invented.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1979|1979}}
| US
| The [[Motorola 68000]] Microprocessor launched, the first of the [[68k]] family. 5+ years later it was used in machines such as the [[Macintosh]], the [[Atari ST]] and the [[Amiga]].
|- valign="top"
| 1979
| US
| Shortly after the release of V7 Unix, which included [[UUCP]], a protocol for communication over standard telephone lines, Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis developed and released [[Usenet]], a global discussion group system. Now, it uses [[Internet]] protocols and is still popular.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1979|1979}}
| US
| Four disgruntled [[Atari]] programmers leave and form [[Activision]], the first third-party video game software publisher. Activision promotes both the game and the programmer, changing the way software is marketed.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1979|1979}}
| US
| Texas Instruments releases the 16-bit [[TI-99/4|TI-99/4 microcomputer]]. This system generally used [[Compact Cassette|audio cassettes]] to store information, along with ROM modules, similar to gaming units, to hold commercial software. Additionally, TI made available a speech synthesizer, based on their own [[TMS5220|chip]], for the TI-99/4 and its successor, the 4A.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1979|1979}}
| US
| [[VisiCalc]] spreadsheet software released.<ref name=Kirschenbaum2013 />
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1979|1979}}
| US
| [[WordStar]] word processing software released.<ref name=Kirschenbaum2013 />
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1979-11|Nov 1979}}
| US
| Atari releases the [[Atari 8-bit computers|Atari 400/800]], high-performance game-oriented home computers based on the 6502 microprocessor.
|}