Editing Timeline of historic inventions (section)

==Contemporary history==
=== 1945-1950 ===
* '''1945:''' The atomic bomb is developed by the [[Manhattan Project]] and swiftly used in August 1945 in the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]], effectively ending [[World War II]].
* '''1945:''' [[Percy Spencer]], while employed at [[Raytheon]], would patent a magnetron based [[microwave oven]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Espacenet - Bibliographic data |url=https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?CC=US&NR=2495429&KC=&FT=E&locale=en_EP |access-date=28 February 2022 |website=worldwide.espacenet.com}}</ref>
* '''1945:''' [[Willard Libby]] began his work on [[radiocarbon dating]]. He published his paper in 1946,<ref name=Bowman_9>[[#Bowman|Bowman (1995)]], pp.&nbsp;9–15.</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Libby|first=W.F.|year=1946|title=Atmospheric helium three and radiocarbon from cosmic radiation|journal=Physical Review|volume=69|issue=11–12|pages=671–672|bibcode=1946PhRv...69..671L|doi=10.1103/PhysRev.69.671.2}}</ref> a second paper in ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'' in 1947.<ref name=Bowman_9/><ref name=Anderson_1947>{{cite journal|last1=Anderson|first1=E.C.|last2=Libby|first2=W.F.|last3=Weinhouse|first3=S.|last4=Reid|first4=A.F.|last5=Kirshenbaum|first5=A.D.|last6=Grosse|first6=A.V.|year=1947|title=Radiocarbon from cosmic radiation|journal=Science|volume=105|issue=2765|pages=576–577|bibcode=1947Sci...105..576A|doi=10.1126/science.105.2735.576|pmid=17746224}}</ref> Libby and [[James R. Arnold|James Arnold]] succeeded with the radiocarbon dating theory after results were published in ''Science'' in December 1949.<ref name=libby49>{{cite journal|last1=Arnold|first1=J.R.|last2=Libby|first2=W.F.|year=1949|title=Age determinations by radiocarbon content: checks with samples of known age|url=http://hbar.phys.msu.ru/gorm/fomenko/libby.htm|journal=Science|volume=110|issue=2869|pages=678–680|bibcode=1949Sci...110..678A|doi=10.1126/science.110.2869.678|jstor=1677049|pmid=15407879|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=Aitken_60>[[#Aitken1990|Aitken (1990)]], pp.&nbsp;60–61.</ref>
* '''1946:''' [[James Martin (engineer)|James Martin]] invents the [[ejector seat]], inspired by the death of his friend and test pilot Captain [[Valentine Baker (pilot)|Valentine Baker]] in an aeroplane crash in 1942.
* '''1947:''' [[Holography]] is invented by [[Dennis Gabor]].
* '''1947:''' Floyd Farris and J.B. Clark ([[Stanolind Oil and Gas Corporation]]) invents [[hydraulic fracturing]] technology.<ref name="Hubbarb">{{Citation | first = George E | last = King | url = http://www.kgs.ku.edu/PRS/Fracturing/Frac_Paper_SPE_152596.pdf | title = Hydraulic fracturing 101 | publisher = Society of Petroleum Engineers | id = Paper 152596 | year = 2012}}</ref>
* '''1947:''' The first [[transistor]], a bipolar [[point-contact transistor]], is invented by [[John Bardeen]] and [[Walter Brattain]] under the supervision of [[William Shockley]] at [[Bell Labs]].
* '''1948:''' The first [[atomic clock]] is developed at the [[National Bureau of Standards]].
* '''1948:''' [[Basic oxygen steelmaking]] is developed by [[Robert Durrer]]. The majority of steel manufactured in the world is produced using the basic oxygen furnace; in 2000, it accounted for 60% of global steel output.<ref name=S978>Smil, pp. 97-98.</ref>

=== 1950s ===
* '''1950:''' ''[[Bertie the Brain]]'', debatably the first [[video game]], is displayed to the public at the [[Canadian National Exhibition]].
* '''1950:''' The Toroidal chamber with axial magnetic fields (the [[Tokamak]]) is developed by [[Igor E. Tamm]] and [[Andrei D. Sakharov]].<ref>R.G. Sharma (26 February 2015) [https://books.google.com/books?id=jbvdBgAAQBAJ&q=Tokamak+T-1+1958 Superconductivity: Basics and Applications to Magnets], [https://books.google.com/books?id=jbvdBgAAQBAJ&dq=Tokamak+T-1+1958&pg=PA316 p.311] [[Springer Science+Business Media]], {{ISBN|3319137131}}, {{ISBN|9783319137131}}, illustrated, Retrieved 27 June 2019</ref>
* '''1952:''' The [[Float glass|float glass process]] is developed by [[Alastair Pilkington]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Float Process|url=http://www.pilkington.com/pilkington-information/about+pilkington/education/float+process/default.htm|website=pilkington.com|publisher=Plinkington|access-date=23 February 2017|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924073324/http://www.pilkington.com/pilkington-information/about+pilkington/education/float+process/default.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* '''1952:''' The first [[thermonuclear weapon]] is developed.
* '''1953:''' The first [[video tape recorder]], a helical scan recorder, is invented by Norikazu Sawazaki.
* '''1954:''' Invention of the solar battery by Bell Telephone scientists, [[Calvin Souther Fuller]], Daryl Chapin and Gerald Pearson capturing the Sun's power. First practical means of collecting energy from the Sun and turning it into a current of electricity.
* '''1955:''' The [[hovercraft]] is patented by [[Christopher Cockerell]].
* '''1955:''' The [[intermodal container]] is developed by [[Malcom McLean]].
* '''1956:''' The [[hard disk drive]] is invented by [[IBM]].<ref>{{cite web|title=IBM 350 disk storage unit|url=https://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/storage/storage_350.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630034047/http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/storage/storage_350.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 June 2012|website=IBM|date=23 January 2003|access-date=25 February 2017}}</ref>
* '''1956:''' The [[Logic Theorist]] computer program, the first "artificial intelligence program", was written and invented by [[Allen Newell]], [[Herbert A. Simon]], and [[Cliff Shaw]].<ref name="mccCrevRussNorv">
{{Harvnb|McCorduck|2004|pp=123–125}}, {{Harvnb|Crevier|1993|pp=44–46}} and {{Harvnb|Russell|Norvig|2021|p=17}}</ref>
* '''1957:''' The [[laser]] and [[optical amplifier]] are invented and named by [[Gordon Gould]] and [[Charles H. Townes|Charles Townes]]. The laser and optical amplifier are foundational to powering the [[Internet]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kumar|first=Aran|title=2014 International Conference on Issues and Challenges in Intelligent Computing Techniques (ICICT) |chapter=Optical amplifier: A key element of high speed optical network |date=2014|url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6781324|publisher=IEEE|pages=450–452|doi=10.1109/ICICICT.2014.6781324|isbn=978-1-4799-2900-9|s2cid=32667559}}</ref>
* '''1957:''' The first [[personal computer]] used by one person and controlled by a keyboard, the [[History of personal computers#The beginnings of the personal computer industry|IBM 610]], is invented by [[IBM]].
* '''1957:''' The first artificial [[satellite]], [[Sputnik 1]], is launched.
* '''1958 – 1959:''' The [[integrated circuit]] is [[Invention of the integrated circuit|independently invented]] by [[Jack Kilby]] and [[Robert Noyce]].
* '''1959:''' The [[MOSFET]] (MOS transistor) is invented by the Egyptian [[Mohamed Atalla]] and the Korean [[Dawon Kahng]] at Bell Labs. It is used in almost all modern [[electronic product]]s. It was smaller, faster, more reliable and cheaper to manufacture than earlier bipolar transistors, leading to a revolution in computers, controls and communication.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.computerhistory.org/siliconengine/metal-oxide-semiconductor-mos-transistor-demonstrated/ |title = 1960: Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) Transistor Demonstrated &#124; the Silicon Engine &#124; Computer History Museum}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/who-invented-the-transistor/ | title=Who Invented the Transistor?| date=4 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/13-sextillion-counting-the-long-winding-road-to-the-most-frequently-manufactured-human-artifact-in-history/ |title = 13 Sextillion & Counting: The Long & Winding Road to the Most Frequently Manufactured Human Artifact in History|date = 2 April 2018}}</ref>

=== 1960s ===
[[File:0 series Yurakucho 19670505.jpg|thumb|The original 0 series Shinkansen train. Introduced in 1964, it reached a speed of {{convert|210|km/h|abbr=on}}.]]
* '''1960:''' The first functioning [[laser]] is invented by [[Theodore Maiman]].
* '''1963:''' The first [[electronic cigarette]] is created by Herbert A. Gilbert. [[Hon Lik]] is often credited with its invention as he developed the modern electronic cigarette and was the first to commercialize it.
* '''1964:''' [[Shinkansen]], the first [[high-speed rail]] commercial passenger service.
* '''1965:''' [[Kevlar]] is invented by [[Stephanie Kwolek]] at [[DuPont]].
* '''1969:''' The [[NPL network]] followed by the [[ARPANET#ARPANET deployed|ARPANET]] implement [[packet switching]] for [[data communication]],<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last1=John S |first1=Quarterman |last2=Josiah C |first2=Hoskins |date=1986 |title=Notable computer networks |journal=Communications of the ACM |language=EN |volume=29 |issue=10 |pages=932–971 |doi=10.1145/6617.6618 |s2cid=25341056 |quote=The first packet-switching network was implemented at the National Physical Laboratories in the United Kingdom. It was quickly followed by the ARPANET in 1969. |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.inc.com/computerfreaks |title=Computer Freaks |date=June 22, 2023 |last=Haughney Dare-Bryan |first=Christine |type=Podcast |publisher=Inc. Magazine |series=Chapter Two: In the Air |minutes=35:55 |quote=Leonard Kleinrock: Donald Davies ... did make a single node packet switch before ARPA did}}</ref> drawing on the concepts and designs of [[Donald Davies]],<ref name="Abbate20002">{{cite book |last1=Abbate |first1=Jane |author-link=Janet Abbate |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E2BdY6WQo4AC&q=packet+switching&pg=PA125 |title=Inventing the Internet |date=2000 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=978-0262261333 |pages=37–8, 58–9 |quote=The NPL group influenced a number of American computer scientists in favor of the new technique, and they adopted Davies's term "packet switching" to refer to this type of network. Roberts also adopted some specific aspects of the NPL design.}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite journal |last1=Roberts |first1=Dr. Lawrence G. |date=November 1978 |title=The Evolution of Packet Switching |url=http://www.ismlab.usf.edu/dcom/Ch10_Roberts_EvolutionPacketSwitching_IEEE_1978.pdf |journal=IEEE Invited Paper |access-date=10 September 2017 |quote=In nearly all respects, Davies’ original proposal, developed in late 1965, was similar to the actual networks being built today. |archive-date=31 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231092936/http://www.ismlab.usf.edu/dcom/Ch10_Roberts_EvolutionPacketSwitching_IEEE_1978.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Computer Pioneers - Donald W. Davies |url=https://history.computer.org/pioneers/davies.html |access-date=2020-02-20 |website=IEEE Computer Society |quote=The design of the ARPA network (ArpaNet) was entirely changed to adopt this technique. |postscript=none}}; {{Cite web |title=Donald Davies|url=https://www.internethalloffame.org/inductees/donald-davies |access-date=20 April 2022 |website=www.internethalloffame.org |quote=the ARPANET received his network design enthusiastically and the NPL local network became the first two computer networks in the world using the technique.}}</ref> and [[Paul Baran]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |title=The real story of how the Internet became so vulnerable |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/business/2015/05/30/net-of-insecurity-part-1/ |url-status=dead |access-date=18 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530231409/http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/business/2015/05/30/net-of-insecurity-part-1/ |archive-date=30 May 2015 |quote=Historians credit seminal insights to Welsh scientist Donald W. Davies and American engineer Paul Baran}}</ref> These are considered precursors to the modern [[Internet]].<ref name="Abbate20002" /><ref name=":5" />

=== 1970s ===
* '''1970s:''' [[Public-key cryptography]] is invented and developed by [[James H. Ellis]], [[Clifford Cocks]], [[Malcolm J. Williamson]], [[Whitfield Diffie]], [[Martin Hellman]], [[Ralph Merkle]], [[Ron Rivest]], [[Adi Shamir]], [[Leonard Adleman]], et al.
* '''1970:''' The [[Calculator#Pocket calculators|pocket calculator]] is invented.
* '''1971:''' The first single-chip [[microprocessor]], the [[Intel 4004]], is invented. Its development was led by [[Federico Faggin]], using his [[silicon-gate]] [[MOSFET|MOS]] technology. This led to the [[personal computer]] (PC) revolution.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.computerhistory.org/siliconengine/microprocessor-integrates-cpu-function-onto-a-single-chip/ |title = 1971: Microprocessor Integrates CPU Function onto a Single Chip &#124; the Silicon Engine &#124; Computer History Museum}}</ref>
* '''1971:''' The first [[space station]], [[Salyut 1]], is launched.
* '''1971:''' [[IBM]] developed and released the world's first [[floppy disk]] and [[disk drive]].<ref name="computerhistory.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/memory-storage/8/261|title=Floppy Disks - CHM Revolution|website=www.computerhistory.org|access-date=October 6, 2017|archive-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103071537/http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/memory-storage/8/261|url-status=live}}</ref>
* '''1972:''' The first [[video game console]], used primarily for playing video games on a TV, is the [[Magnavox Odyssey]].<ref name="HilbertLopez2011">[https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1200970 "The World's Technological Capacity to Store, Communicate, and Compute Information"], Martin Hilbert and Priscila López (2011), [[Science (journal)|Science]], 332(6025), 60-65; free access to the article through here martinhilbert.net/WorldInfoCapacity.html</ref>
* '''1973:''' The first fiber optic communication systems were developed by [[Optelecom]].<ref>Nick Taylor. Laser: The Inventor, the Nobel Laureate, and the Thirty-Year Patent War. Simon & Schuster. 2000</ref>
* '''1973:''' The first commercial [[graphical user interface]] is introduced in 1973 on the [[Xerox Alto]]. The modern GUI is later popularized by the [[Xerox Star]] and [[Apple Lisa]].
* '''1973:''' The first [[Touchscreen#Capacitive|capacitive touchscreen]] is developed at [[CERN]].
* '''1974:''' The [[Transmission Control Program]] is proposed by [[Vinton Cerf]] and [[Robert E. Kahn]], building on the work of [[Louis Pouzin]] and other [[Internet pioneer]]s, creating the basis for the modern [[Internet]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cerf |first1=V. |last2=Kahn |first2=R. |date=1974 |title=A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication |url=https://www.cs.princeton.edu/courses/archive/fall06/cos561/papers/cerf74.pdf |journal=IEEE Transactions on Communications |volume=22 |issue=5 |pages=637–648 |doi=10.1109/TCOM.1974.1092259 |issn=1558-0857 |quote=The authors wish to thank a number of colleagues for helpful comments during early discussions of international network protocols, especially R. Metcalfe, R. Scantlebury, D. Walden, and H. Zimmerman; D. Davies and L. Pouzin who constructively commented on the fragmentation and accounting issues; and S. Crocker who commented on the creation and destruction of associations.}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite news |date=30 November 2013 |title=The internet's fifth man |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21590765-louis-pouzin-helped-create-internet-now-he-campaigning-ensure-its |access-date=22 April 2020 |issn=0013-0613 |quote=In the early 1970s Mr Pouzin created an innovative data network that linked locations in France, Italy and Britain. Its simplicity and efficiency pointed the way to a network that could connect not just dozens of machines, but millions of them. It captured the imagination of Dr Cerf and Dr Kahn, who included aspects of its design in the protocols that now power the internet.}}</ref>
* '''1974:''' The [[lithium-ion battery]] is invented by [[M. Stanley Whittingham]], and further developed in the 1980s and 1990s by [[John B. Goodenough]], [[Rachid Yazami]] and [[Akira Yoshino]]. It has impacted modern [[consumer electronics]] and [[electric vehicle]]s.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.ieee.org/about/awards/bios/environmental-safety-recipients.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325040102/https://www.ieee.org/about/awards/bios/environmental-safety-recipients.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=25 March 2019 | title=IEEE Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies Recipients| website=[[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] (IEEE)}}</ref>
* '''1974:''' The [[Rubik's Cube|Rubik's cube]] is invented by [[Ernő Rubik]] which went on to be the best selling [[puzzle]] ever.<ref name="castel">{{Cite news |last=de Castella |first=Tom |date=28 April 2014 |title=The people who are still addicted to the Rubik's Cube |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27186297 |access-date=28 April 2014 |work=BBC News Magazine |publisher=BBC}}</ref>
* '''1977:''' Dr Walter Gilbert and Frederick Sanger invented a new [[DNA sequencing]] method for which they won the [[Nobel Prize]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Gilbert|first1=Walter|last2=Maxam|first2=Allan|date=February 1977|title=A new method for sequencing DNA|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|volume=74 |issue=2|pages=560–566|doi=10.1073/pnas.74.2.560|pmid=265521|pmc=392330|bibcode=1977PNAS...74..560M|doi-access=free}}</ref>
* '''1977:''' The first [[self-driving car]] that did not rely upon rails or wires under the road is designed by the Tsukuba Mechanical Engineering Laboratory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.web2carz.com/autos/car-tech/6396/the-vamors-was-the-worlds-first-real-deal-autonomous-car|title=The VaMoRs Was the World's First Real-Deal Autonomous Car &#124; Web2Carz|date=28 February 2017|website=Web2Carz.com}}</ref>
* '''1978:''' The [[Global Positioning System]] (GPS) enters service. While not the first [[Satellite navigation]] system, it is the first to enter widespread civilian use.
* '''1979:''' The first handheld game console with interchangeable game cartridges, the [[Microvision]] is released.
* '''1979:''' [[Nippon Telegraph and Telephone]] (NTT) launched the first cellular network in Japan.<ref>Garcia-Swartz, Daniel D, and Martin Campbell-Kelly. [https://watermark.silverchair.com/c001700_9780262370011.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAA1EwggNNBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggM-MIIDOgIBADCCAzMGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMdfdIw9EUcJh3wr1MAgEQgIIDBKoiLSROBm6jhDF-QaJ_82PXbPJ1lhqmG-X-Yqt2Xi0gi_GzWfkLC8lW_XVrHrT_Jbref1FPziJU0_Q_bztUIErncsgCLctRwzhcQ9l99sWd0uszbmd-JUKPbRca485OKhAhtnXH0F-Sg7C-fKivMrN2o6LuwONWpCgDIxm6eStLl-SfhQN1ZO7pZvKD5_GKc4vVXjh3JLOWMgoBmpk4RuUeQIjoTlbGlNcK3q-InBXM4BgypLkGwZttoOXWslAeXwxclSppiyGy9P3lQp6jBNHrHLzVmYO_R02VFR7uk2VqnSjhScJdropIVWnbuftAwpw_-c5R6xqJfbuLhfUJv2wPJMpJSj1cF5EYZtvfGQQaYIO8Lp0xuRyNt5DDhRRY8RQLHAZm0yQKzubQ11TNpcfFO2Glc2zmJ6SLBC0RUDmHT_j9-osG0twobaYiJeIW7BjtjMETUzCx4mPgiAs72HwSDU1JKc2wy-wXo7V_1S52NjqMXbOZn6ZEweUBqyW31coGOSWmN5qe5gcd-wGDSrNfXtwF-CDPrCLehsYV7KysoSRY-1QoDq3V8sKl25Dek84fXersK8Rc3-UtWR7ltG4QfdeHHtPNyNOCctcoYMsPtfB5Cb5EeGCwPojyiO3VD30n3u6LxQEr5u-2j3i3dAYkUoQ5VL0bkWNoooVVxvZQw4zP2dBhySWrA1h4_XpTEvnA4UTWwJaZN0poSoBsFFgSxjrz9CS4m-f-78p9eTbG36oajZoZN7sav1PB0oiWCaI6sFugKLaSR-NYnRxdvZ5sUQVYZ8KbPUH17UjiPrSExKkxk0yMeXc2tOipvDMQnv62SjzR9Ko9qSYcJQh8hXEMgxJAkquC3OnNHbWaMR9rVIzyep1t-pT88sLoVG4gD8EKAp7Yd7DqfWwKZg2-TjIYxpmJT4kjqfrG74m21IVHiyGzNJ9NayY67pHAOgyRxRucX_v8vIiQX0ZFS3zxccr64iLV9GeKyUYZz2iT1Y3iXuGTDsEkpsT0qTIndg5lLgZDf-0 “The First Cellular Systems: Japan, Europe, and the United States.”] Cellular: An Economic and Business History of the International Mobile-Phone Industry, The MIT Press, pp. 52–52.</ref>
* '''1979:''' Public dialup information, messaging and e-commerce services, were pioneered through [[CompuServe]] and [[RadioShack]]'s MicroNET, and the UK's [[Post Office Telecommunications]] [[Prestel]] services.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Tweney |first=Dylan |title=Sept. 24, 1979: First Online Service for Consumers Debuts |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/09/0924compuserve-launches/ |access-date=26 February 2022 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC - A History of the World - Object : Prestel badge |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/mWvJg15mRuOLEwrqZKVjBw |access-date=26 February 2022 |website=BBC}}</ref>

=== 1980s ===
* '''1980:''' [[Flash memory]] (both NOR and NAND types) was invented by [[Fujio Masuoka]] while working for [[Toshiba]]. It was formally introduced to the public in 1984.
* '''1980:''' Scientists [[Mark Skolnick]], Ron Davis, Ray White, and [[David Botstein]] published their findings on a gene mapping tool using [[Restriction fragment length polymorphism|Restriction Fragment-length Polymorphisms]] (RFLP), that would have applications to identify heritable disorders, including some forms of cancer.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cook-Deegan |first=Robert |title=The gene wars: science, politics, and the human genome |date=1995 |publisher=Norton |isbn=978-0-393-31399-4 |edition=1. publ. as a Norton paperback |location=New York NY}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bishop |first1=Jerry E. |title=Genome: the story of the most astonishing scientific adventure of our time; the attempt to map all the genes in the human body |last2=Waldholz |first2=Michael |date=1990 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0-671-74032-0 |location=New York}}</ref><ref>Botstein D, White RL, Skolnick M, Davis RW. [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1686077/ Construction of a genetic linkage map in man using restriction fragment length polymorphisms.] Am J Hum Genet. 1980 May;32(3):314-31. PMID 6247908; PMCID: PMC1686077.</ref>
* '''1981:''' The first [[reusable spacecraft]], the [[Space Shuttle]] undergoes test flights ahead of full operation in 1982.
* '''1981:''' [[Kane Kramer]] develops the credit card-sized, IXI [[Portable media player|digital media player]].<ref>{{Cite patent|number=4667088|title=Portable data processing and storage system|gdate=1987-05-19|invent1=Kramer|invent2=Campbell|inventor1-first=Kane N.|inventor2-first=James S.|url=https://www.freepatentsonline.com/4667088.html}}</ref>
* '''1981:''' [[Televerket (Sweden)|Televerket]], a Swedish state-owned corporation, launched the [[Nordic Mobile Telephone]] (NMT) system.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-21 |title=NMT - Nordic Mobile Telephone System - SolveForce Communications |url=http://solveforce.com/nmt-nordic-mobile-telephone-system/#:~:text=NMT%20(Nordic%20Mobile%20Telephone%20System,to%20cover%20an%20entire%20country |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=solveforce.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>Garcia-Swartz, Daniel D, and Martin Campbell-Kelly. [https://watermark.silverchair.com/c001700_9780262370011.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAA1EwggNNBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggM-MIIDOgIBADCCAzMGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMzJ3U80urYIDfIar2AgEQgIIDBHGL1HVH-kO3lQOkHchm4XtMnmZcC1alrEPY3y-ocf9bdf-jIhMaeo6l1Rv-bCjo269l7-jYNiUAW7JXhFzCdDB-leR4TFgFKaK0Oh12DDhzieGXf_SaZYsMQv5IKfEiKxV-ZaKhjlhJuYOtHFiMjue8oPnKaStazTnmiLVHvLK5qcX8lNvarJWXX6vluNZ3p7Yj_bApCdoEKg9MIIQ59ZBv0_WT3w_NFC2cvKkH1f8C2WcObccPWTtPzqKshT7w2Gm2GpMml4R8Dk5mUj01E9UozydTvWaESyRdlin9gtgNXz5Ujgfo6c_m4CB4KU3wj3YvyAwe9Om8Jc63Z6fZZ7vtja7GGFOUYCcrv2myUN9zn9djF-bEumsZygA5FdAiKV0-UWGuasCTXyLYh-bJsXs2YbG21nsSSoxAzE2PH_3SzwipWwSKFp2EvIEuvZIn784KFtVivDNtIuYP7I5-K1A4nJizQo6zNqp10CvyldNbXxJJ3DS58gU1at9RMgAtWRLiniiSabGEi7OKf9czgYtPBX2n5LYR2k-_ETPhkyXPFKlptHino0oOUBEIk9WORuldmShQNAlh_iexWfUe49gPoFbjO18F-nNg6YrRh3Cy4zpnWPYGEIRGUdWX-6ZSKToeM3zZw7kWnGZdORhhviMCjrf-iIAeZKExkFfbfMT20ZB48vpPCVqQRLo6hPJi4V4Sgt2azobglv_eTGrDn5jcgGJRbfoqtim8rXcsBRJXU6gt1KbL0WFHtztENBOa80ivzuPySDgJOQfvTA9xh8hXcjZIFLfr87ufq9_sKnB4dwc4DE0DfggjfESbK3VvsedaE2A3lXohLpL5IudfqCJcIesNb9fxwGacKYp-TuELvAvCOhJ5gFVfEsG4eK4x2RkCd_5teasXt0siUAlvDMONTL3iu6-7rru1lhZpFznbZCT6ZaUnBIfvRMaON9dopyK_EaYn0Smv1vgBR_UjxJHI_MhKQMuaF6c8mIR41bS8s-ptDwlVpstVHA3id1rEGBZGnxk “The First Cellular Systems: Japan, Europe, and the United States.”] Cellular: An Economic and Business History of the International Mobile-Phone Industry, The MIT Press, pp. 50–51.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Al-Khouri |first=Ali M. |date=2015 |title=Towards a SIM-less Existence: The Evolution of Smart Learning Networks |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/44430335 |journal=Educational Technology |volume=55 |issue=1 |pages=19–26 |jstor=44430335 |issn=0013-1962}}</ref>
* '''1981:''' [[Comviq|Comvik]], a Swedish telecommunications company, launched the first commercial automatic cellular system. However, according to the [[Swedish Post and Telecom Authority]], the company launched an unlicensed automatic system. Comvik didn’t receive a license to operate until December 1981, two months after the NMT system was launched.<ref>Mölleryd, Bengt G. [https://research.hhs.se/esploro/outputs/doctoral/Entrepreneurship-in-technological-systems--the/991001480453506056 “Entrepreneurship in Technological Systems - The Development of Mobile Telephony in Sweden.”] Stockholm School of Economics: Economic Research Institute, Stockholm School of Economics, 1999, pp. 104.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Andersson |first=Per |title=Stenbeck: en biografi över en framgångsrik affärsman |date=2012 |publisher=Modernista |isbn=978-91-7499-112-3 |edition=Ny, utök. utg. |location=Stockholm}}</ref>
* '''1982:''' A [[CD-ROM]] contains [[Computer data storage|data]] accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 ''Yellow Book'' standard developed by [[Sony]] and [[Philips]] adapted the format to hold any form of [[Binary file|binary data]].<ref name="EP689208">{{Patent|EP|689208|"Method for block oriented addressing" – for block layouts see columns 1 and 2}}</ref>
* '''1982:''' Direct to home [[satellite television]] transmission, with the launch of [[Sky One]] service.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SatMagazine |url=http://www.satmagazine.com/story.php?number=1053209847 |access-date=26 February 2022 |website=www.satmagazine.com}}</ref>
* '''1982:''' The first [[laptop]] computer is launched, the 8/16-bit [[Epson HX-20]].<ref name="ipsj">{{cite web|url=http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/personal/0081.html|title=Shinshu Seiki/Suwa Seikosha HC-20|website=IPSJ Computer Museum|access-date=19 June 2019}}</ref>
* '''1983:''' [[Stereolithography]] is invented by [[Chuck Hull]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Story |url=https://www.3dsystems.com/our-story |website=3D Systems |date=12 January 2017 |access-date=12 July 2018}}</ref>
* '''1983:''' Ameritech, now known as [[AT&T]], commercialized the [[Bell System]] (its cellular network) in Chicago, Ill.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Galazzo |first=Richard |date=2020-09-21 |title=Timeline from 1G to 5G: A Brief History on Cell Phones - CENGN |url=http://www.cengn.ca/information-centre/innovation/timeline-from-1g-to-5g-a-brief-history-on-cell-phones/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241213231942/https://www.cengn.ca/information-centre/innovation/timeline-from-1g-to-5g-a-brief-history-on-cell-phones/ |archive-date=2024-12-13 |access-date=2024-12-16 |work=CENGN |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=First American Cellular Network |url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/first-american-cellular-network/ |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=education.nationalgeographic.org |language=en}}</ref>
* '''1984:''' The first commercially available [[cell phone]] in the US, the [[Motorola DynaTAC|DynaTAC]] 8000X, is created by [[Motorola]].
* '''1984:''' [[DNA profiling]] is pioneered by [[Alec Jeffreys]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zagorski |first=Nick |date=13 June 2006 |title=Profile of Alec J. Jeffreys |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=103 |issue=24 |pages=8918–8920 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0603953103 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=1482540 |pmid=16754883|bibcode=2006PNAS..103.8918Z |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/may/24/dna-fingerprinting-alec-jeffreys|title=Eureka moment that led to the discovery of DNA fingerprinting|date=24 May 2009|work=The Guardian|access-date=11 April 2022|archive-date=26 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426075251/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/may/24/dna-fingerprinting-alec-jeffreys|url-status=live}}</ref>
* '''1986:''' [[Technophone]], a British mobile phone company, created the first pocket-sized cell phone, the [[Excel mobile phones|Excell PCT105]].<ref>Becket, Michael. [https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IO0702090869/TGRH?u=tele&sid=bookmark-TGRH. "Excell unveils new portable telephone."] Daily Telegraph, 13 July 1987, p. 20. The Telegraph Historical Archive, Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-11-18 |title=Vintage Mobiles |url=http://www.gsmhistory.com/vintage-mobiles/#technophone_pc105t_1986 |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=GSM History: History of GSM, Mobile Networks, Vintage Mobiles |language=en-US}}</ref>
* '''1989:''' [[Karlheinz Brandenburg]] would publish the audio compression algorithms that would be standardised as the: MPEG-1, layer 3 ([[MP3|mp3]]), and later the MPEG-2, layer 7 Advanced Audio Compression (AAC).<ref>{{Cite web |last= |last2= |first2= |last3= |first3= |last4= |first4= |title=On the 20th Birthday of the MP3, An Interview With The "Father" of the MP3, Karlheinz Brandenburg |url=https://www.internethistorypodcast.com/2015/07/on-the-20th-birthday-of-the-mp3-an-interview-with-the-father-of-the-mp3-karlheinz-brandenburg/ |access-date=26 February 2022 |website=Internet History Podcast |language=en-US}}</ref>
* '''1989:''' The [[World Wide Web]] is invented by computer scientist [[Tim Berners-Lee]].<ref name="AHT">{{cite magazine |title=Tim Berners Lee – Time 100 People of the Century |url=http://205.188.238.181/time/time100/scientist/profile/bernerslee.html |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Time Magazine]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203163437/http://205.188.238.181/time/time100/scientist/profile/bernerslee.html |archive-date=3 February 2011 |access-date=17 May 2010 |quote=He wove the World Wide Web and created a mass medium for the 21st century. The World Wide Web is Berners-Lee's alone. He designed it. He loosed it on the world. And he more than anyone else has fought to keep it open, nonproprietary and free.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Berners-Lee, Tim |title=Pre-W3C Web and Internet Background |url=http://w3.org/2004/Talks/w3c10-HowItAllStarted/?n=15 |access-date=21 April 2009 |publisher=World Wide Web Consortium}}</ref>

=== 1990s ===
* '''1990:''' The [[Neo Geo AES]] becomes the first video game system to launch that used [[Memory Cards]].
* '''1990:''' The first search engine invented was “[[Archie (search engine)|Archie]]”, created by Alan Emtage a student at McGill University in Montreal.
* '''1991:''' The first commercial flash-based [[solid-state drive]] is launched by [[SanDisk|SunDisk]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.computerhistory.org/storageengine/solid-state-drive-module-demonstrated/|title=1991: Solid State Drive module demonstrated &#124; The Storage Engine &#124; Computer History Museum|website=www.computerhistory.org}}</ref>
* '''1991:''' The first [[sim card]] is developed by Munich smart-card maker Giesecke & Devrient.
* '''1993:''' IBM created the first mobile app with SIMON; it had 10 built-in apps from Email to Calendar.
* '''1994:''' [[IBM Simon]], the world's first smartphone, is developed by [[IBM]].
* '''1994:''' First generation of [[Bluetooth]] is developed by [[Ericsson Mobile]]. A form of data communication on short distances between electronic devices. 
* '''1994:''' A [[Tetris]] variant on the [[Hagenuk MT-2000]] device becomes the first mobile game.
* '''1995:''' [[DVD]] is an [[optical disc]] [[data storage device|storage]] format, invented and developed by [[Philips]], [[Sony]], [[Toshiba]], and [[Panasonic]] in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than [[compact disc]]s while having the same dimensions.
* '''1995:''' [[Match.com]] launches as the first dating site ever and is the number 1 most visited dating site in the US.
* '''1995:''' [[Waiter.com]] launches as the first [[online food ordering]] service.
* '''1996:''' The [[Ciena|Ciena Corporation]], in partnership with [[Sprint Corporation|Sprint]], deployed the first commercial dense [[Wavelength-division multiplexing|wavelength-division multiplexing system]], which created the massive capacity of the Internet.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Markoff|first=John|date=3 March 1997|title=Fiber-Optic Technology Draws Record Stock Value|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Unified Patents - Analytics Portal |url=https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/patents/patent/US-5504609-A |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=portal.unifiedpatents.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hecht |first=Jeff |title=City of light: the story of fiber optics |date=2004 |publisher=Oxford Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-19-510818-7 |edition=Rev. and expanded ed., 1. paperback [ed.] |series=The Sloan technology series |location=Oxford}}</ref>
* '''1996:''' Mobile web was first commercially offered in Finland on the [[Nokia 9000 Communicator]] phone, and it was also the first phone with texting.
* '''1996:''' [[Bolt (website)|Bolt]] and [[SixDegrees.com|Six Degrees]] (1997) both become the first social media sites.
* '''1996:''' [[Myriad Genetics]] released the BRACAnalysis, the first commercial genetic test for assessing the risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.<ref>Cook-Deegan, Robert, and Annie Niehaus. [http://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4225052/ “After Myriad: Genetic Testing in the Wake of Recent Supreme Court Decisions about Gene Patents.”] Current Genetic Medicine Reports, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 11 Sept. 2014,</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Begley |first=Sharon |date=2016-11-29 |title=As revenue falls, a pioneer of cancer gene testing slams rivals with overblown claims |url=https://www.statnews.com/2016/11/29/brca-cancer-myriad-genetic-tests/ |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=STAT |language=en-US}}</ref>
* '''1997:''' The first weblog, a discussion or informational website, was created by [[Jorn Barger]], and later shortened to "blog" in 1999 by Peter Merholz.
* '''1998:''' The first portable [[MP3 player]] was released by SaeHan Information Systems.
* '''1998:'''  The search engine [[Google Search|Google]], is launched.<ref>Hall, Mark, and William L Hosch. [http://www.britannica.com/money/Google-Inc “Google: American Company.”] Encyclopædia Britannica, 31 Oct. 2024.</ref>
* '''1999:''' The first [[digital video recorder]] (DVR), the [[TiVo]], is launched by [[Xperi]].
* '''1999:''' [[NTT Docomo|NTT DoCoMo]] launches [[i-mode]], the first integrated [[app store|Online App store]] for mobile phones.

===21st century===

====2000s====
* '''2000:''' [[Sony]] develops the first prototypes for the [[Blu-ray]] optical disc format. The first prototype player was released in 2004.
* '''2000:''' First documented placement of [[Geocaching]], an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, took place on May 3, 2000, by Dave Ulmer of [[Beavercreek, Oregon]].
* '''2004:''' First [[podcast]], invented by Adam Curry and Dave Winer, is a [[radio program|program]] made available in digital format for [[download]] over the Internet and it usually features one or more recurring hosts engaged in a discussion about a particular topic or current event.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/podcast |title=Podcast |dictionary=Cambridge Dictionary |edition=Online |access-date=April 21, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/podcast|title = Definition of PODCAST| date=21 November 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/podcast|title=Podcast Definition & Meaning &#124; Britannica Dictionary|website=britannica.com}}</ref>
* '''2005:''' [[YouTube]], the first popular video-streaming site, was founded 
* '''2007:''' [[Netflix]] debuted the first popular video-on-demand service
* '''2007:''' [[Apple Inc.]] released the [[iPhone]]
* '''2007:''' The [[Bank of Scotland]] develops the world's first banking app
* '''2007:''' [[SoundCloud]], the first on-demand service to focus on music is debuted
* '''2007:''' First [[Amazon Kindle|Kindle]] introduced by [[Amazon (company)]] founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, who instructed the company's employees to build the world's best e-reader before Amazon's competitors could. Amazon originally used the codename ''Fiona'' for the device. This hardware evolved from the original Kindle introduced in 2007 and the Kindle DX (with its larger 9.7" screen) introduced in 2009.<ref>[https://www.theverge.com/2014/12/17/7396525/amazon-kindle-design-lab-audible-hachette Inside the secret lab where Amazon is designing the future of reading] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922195339/https://www.theverge.com/2014/12/17/7396525/amazon-kindle-design-lab-audible-hachette |date=September 22, 2017 }} The Verge, 2014</ref>
* '''2008:''' [[Satoshi Nakamoto]] develops the first [[blockchain]].<ref>{{cite book|last1= Narayanan|first1= Arvind|last2= Bonneau|first2= Joseph|last3= Felten|first3= Edward|last4= Miller|first4= Andrew|last5= Goldfeder|first5= Steven|title= Bitcoin and cryptocurrency technologies: a comprehensive introduction|date= 2016|publisher= Princeton University Press|location= Princeton|isbn= 978-0-691-17169-2}}
</ref>

====2010s====
* '''2010:''' The first [[solar sail]] based spacecraft, [[IKAROS]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Edwards |first1=Lin |last2=Phys.org |title=IKAROS unfurls first ever solar sail in space |url=https://phys.org/news/2010-06-ikaros-unfurls-solar-space.html |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=phys.org |language=en}}</ref>
*'''2010:''' The first [[quantum machine]]<ref>{{cite journal|first=Adrian|last=Cho|title=BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR. The First Quantum Machine|journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]]|year=2010|volume=330|issue=6011|page=1604|doi=10.1126/science.330.6011.1604|bibcode=2010Sci...330.1604C|pmid=21163978}}</ref>
* '''2010:''' The first [[Synthetic biology|synthetic organism]], ''[[Mycoplasma laboratorium]]'' is created by the [[J. Craig Venter Institute]]
* '''2011:''' HIV treatment as prevention ([[HPTN 052]])<ref>{{cite journal|first=Jon|last=Cohen|title=Breakthrough of the Year: HIV Treatment as Prevention|journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]]|year=2011|volume=334|issue=6063|page=1628|doi=10.1126/science.334.6063.1628|bibcode=2011Sci...334.1628C|pmid=22194547|doi-access=free}}</ref>
* '''2013:''' [[Cancer immunotherapy]]<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.342.6165.1432|title=Cancer Immunotherapy|first=Jenifer|last=Couzin-Franken|journal=Science|date=20 December 2013|volume=342 |issue=6165 |pages=1432–1433 |doi=10.1126/science.342.6165.1432 |pmid=24357284 |access-date=22 December 2013|archive-date=22 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222085116/http://www.sciencemag.org/content/342/6165/1432.full|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
* '''2014:''' The first known "[[NFT]]", ''Quantum'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cascone |first=Sarah |date=May 7, 2021 |title=Sotheby's Is Selling the First NFT Ever Minted – and Bidding Starts at $100 |url=https://news.artnet.com/market/sothebys-is-hosting-its-first-curated-nft-sale-featuring-the-very-first-nft-ever-minted-1966003 |access-date=November 12, 2021 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US}}</ref> was created by Kevin McCoy and [[Anil Dash]] in May.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ostroff |first=Caitlin |date=May 8, 2021 |title=The NFT Origin Story, Starring Digital Cats |language=en-US |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-nft-origin-story-starring-digital-cats-11620446425 |access-date=December 12, 2021 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref>
* '''2015:''' [[CRISPR]] genome-editing method<ref>{{cite journal|title=Making the cut|first=John|last=Travis|date=18 December 2015|volume=350|issue=6267|pages=1456–1457|journal=Science Magazine|doi=10.1126/science.350.6267.1456|pmid=26680172|doi-access=free}}</ref>
* '''2017:''' [[Google]] publishes a research paper "[[Attention Is All You Need]]" leading to the development into a new deep learning architecture known as the [[Transformer (deep learning architecture)|transformer]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Transformers |url=https://www.ft.com/content/37bb01af-ee46-4483-982f-ef3921436a50 |website=Science |publisher=AAAS |access-date=28 November 2018}}</ref>
* '''2018:''' [[Single-cell sequencing]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Choose your 2018 Breakthrough of the Year! |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/choose-your-2018-breakthrough-year |website=Science |publisher=AAAS |access-date=28 November 2018}}</ref>
* '''2019:''' [[IBM]] launches [[IBM Q System One]], its first integrated [[quantum computing]] system for commercial use.

====2020s====
* '''2020:''' The first [[MRNA vaccine]] to be approved by public health medicines regulators is co-developed by [[Pfizer]] and [[BioNTech]] for [[COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-14 |title=Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine {{!}} FDA |website=[[Food and Drug Administration]] |url=https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-COVID-19/pfizer-biontech-COVID-19-vaccine |access-date=2024-07-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114221304/https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-COVID-19/pfizer-biontech-COVID-19-vaccine |archive-date=14 January 2021 }}</ref>
* '''2020:''' [[OpenAI]] demonstrated an [[Artificial intelligence|Artificial Intelligence]] model called [[GPT-3]]. The program was created to generate human-like responses when given prompts.<ref>Kissinger, Henry; Schmidt, Eric; Huttenlocher, Daniel P. (2021). ''The age of AI: and our human future''. Schuyler Schouten (First edition&nbsp;ed.). New York Boston London: Little, Brown and Company. {{ISBN|978-0-316-27380-0}}.</ref>
* '''2021:''' [[Pfizer]] develops [[Paxlovid|the world's first pill]] for [[COVID-19|COVID]].
* '''2022:''' [[ChatGPT]] is launched to the public, making its first mainstream [[generative AI]] to be released.