Editing Timeline of computing 1950–1979

{{Short description|None}}

{{More citations needed|date=December 2008}}
{{Computing timeline|[[computing]] from 1950 to 1979}}

== 1950s ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date
! Place
! class="unsortable" | Event
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1950-04-01|Feb 1950}}
| Sweden
| [[BARK (computer)|BARK]] was finished in Sweden. Next to come was [[BESK]] in 1953.
|-
| {{sort|1950-04-01|Apr 1950}}
| US
| [[SEAC (computer)|SEAC]] (Standards Eastern Automatic Computer) demonstrated at [[National Institute of Standards and Technology|US NBS]] in Washington, DC – was the first fully functional [[stored-program computer]] in the U.S.
|-
|{{sort|1950-05-10|May 1950}}
|UK
|The [[Pilot ACE]] computer, with 800 vacuum tubes, and mercury delay lines for its main memory, became operational on 10 May 1950 at the [[National Physical Laboratory, UK|National Physical Laboratory]] near London. It was a preliminary version of the full [[ACE (computer)|ACE]], which had been designed by [[Alan Turing]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1950-08-01|Aug 1950}}
| US
| [[SWAC (computer)|SWAC]] (Standards Western Automatic Computer) demonstrated at [[UCLA]] in Los Angeles; fastest computer in the world until [[IAS machine]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1950-09|Sep 1950}}
| GER
| [[Konrad Zuse]] leased his [[Z4 (computer)|Z4]] machine to the [[ETH Zurich]] for five years. Z4 was a relay-based machine. The corresponding contract was signed in the fall of 1949, and the machine reassembled in Zurich after its arrival in July 1950.
The Z4 was replaced by [[ERMETH]], a computer developed at the ETH in Switzerland from 1953 to 1956, one of the first electronic computers on the European continent.
|- valign="top"
| Oct {{sort|1950|1950}}
| UK
| [[Turing Test]]{{Snd}}The British mathematician and computer pioneer [[Alan Turing]] published a paper describing the potential development of human and computer intelligence and communication. The paper would come later to be called the Turing Test.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1950|1950}}
| US
| ''[[TIME]]'' magazine cover story on the Harvard "[[Harvard Mark III|Mark III]]: Can man build a superman?" includes a quote from [[Howard Aiken]], commenting on "calculators" (computers) then under construction: "We'll have to think up bigger problems if we want to keep them busy."
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1951-03-30|30&nbsp;Mar 1951}}
| US
| The first commercially successful electronic computer, [[UNIVAC I|UNIVAC]], was also the first general-purpose computer{{Snd}}designed to handle both numeric and textual information. Designed by [[J. Presper Eckert]] and [[John Mauchly]], whose corporation subsequently passed to [[Remington Rand]]. The implementation of this machine marked the real beginning of the computer era. Remington Rand delivered the first UNIVAC machine to the U.S. Bureau of Census. This machine used magnetic tape for input.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1951-04-21|21&nbsp;Apr 1951}}
| US
| [[MIT Whirlwind|Whirlwind]], the first real-time computer was built at [[MIT]] by the team of Jay Forrester for the US Air Defense System, became operational.
This computer is the first to allow [[interactive computing]], allowing users to interact with it using a keyboard and a cathode-ray tube. The Whirlwind design was later developed into [[Semi Automatic Ground Environment|SAGE]], a comprehensive system of real-time computers used for early warning of air attacks.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1951-11-17|17&nbsp;Nov 1951}}
| UK
| J. Lyons, a United Kingdom food company, famous for its tea, made history by running the first business application on an electronic computer. A payroll system was run on [[LEO I|Lyons Electronic Office]] (LEO) a computer system designed by [[Maurice Wilkes]] who had previously worked on [[EDSAC]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1951-09|Sep 1951}}
| UK
| The oldest known recordings of [[computer music|computer generated music]] were played by the [[Ferranti Mark 1]] computer.
The Mark 1 is a commercial version of the [[Manchester Mark 1]] machine from the [[Victoria University of Manchester|University of Manchester]]. The music program was written by [[Christopher Strachey]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1951|1951}}
| US
| [[EDVAC]] (electronic discrete variable computer). The first computer to use magnetic tape.
EDVAC could have new programs loaded from the tape. Proposed by John von Neumann, it was installed at the Institute for Advance Study, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, US.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1951|1951}}
| Australia
| [[CSIRAC]] used to play music{{Snd}}the first time a computer was used as a musical instrument.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1951|1951}}
| US
| The [[A-0 System|A-0]] high-level compiler is invented by [[Grace Hopper|Grace Murray Hopper]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1952-4|April 1952}}
| US
| [[IBM]] introduces the [[IBM 701]], the first computer in its [[IBM 700/7000 series|700 and 7000 series]] of large scale machines with varied scientific and commercial architectures, but common electronics and peripherals. Some computers in this series remained in service until the 1980s.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1952-6|June 1952}}
| US
| [[IAS machine]] completed at the [[Institute for Advanced Study]], Princeton, US (by Von Neumann and others).
|-
|1952
|France
|[[Compagnie des Machines Bull|Bull]] introduces the [[Bull Gamma 3|Gamma 3]]. A dual-mode decimal and binary computer that sold over 1200 units, becoming the first computer produced in over 1000 units.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1952|1952}}
| USSR
| [[BESM|BESM-1]] is completed. Only one BESM-1 machine was built. The machine used approximately 5,000 vacuum tubes.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1953|1953}}
| UK
| The [[University of Manchester]] team complete the [[Transistor computer#First transistor computer|first transistorised computer]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1953|1953}}
| US
| [[Arthur Andersen]] was hired to program the payroll for [[General Electric]] ([[GE]])'s Appliance Park manufacturing facility near Louisville, Kentucky. As a result, GE purchased [[UNIVAC I]] which became the first-ever commercial computer in the US. [[Joseph Glickauf|Joe Glickauf]] was [[Arthur Andersen]]'s project leader for the GE engagement.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1953|1953}}
| World
| Estimate that there are 100 computers in the world.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1953|1953}}
| US
| [[Magnetic-core memory]] developed.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1954|1954}}
| US
| [[FORTRAN]] (FORmula TRANslation), the first high-level programming language development, was begun by [[John Backus]] and his team at IBM.
The development continued until 1957. It is still in use for scientific programming. Before being run, a FORTRAN program needs to be converted into a machine program by a [[compiler]], itself a program.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1954|1954}}
| US
| The [[IBM 650]] is introduced. A relatively inexpensive decimal machine with drum storage, it becomes the first computer produced over 2000 units.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1954-12|December 1954}}
| US
| The [[IBM NORC|NORC]] was delivered by IBM to the [[US Navy]].
|-
|1955
|US
|[[Carl Frosch]] and Lincoln Derick discover surface passivation by silicon dioxide.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Huff |first1=Howard |last2=Riordan |first2=Michael |date=2007-09-01 |title=Frosch and Derick: Fifty Years Later (Foreword) |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/2.F02073IF |journal=The Electrochemical Society Interface |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=29 |doi=10.1149/2.F02073IF |issn=1064-8208|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite patent|number=US2802760A|title=Oxidation of semiconductive surfaces for controlled diffusion|gdate=1957-08-13|invent1=Lincoln|invent2=Frosch|inventor1-first=Derick|inventor2-first=Carl J.|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US2802760A}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1956|1956}}
| US
| First conference on [[artificial intelligence]] held at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1956|1956}}
| US
| The [[Bendix G-15]] computer was introduced by the [[Bendix Corporation]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1956|1956}}
| NED
| [[Edsger Dijkstra]] invented an efficient algorithm for shortest paths in graphs as a demonstration of the abilities of the [[ARMAC]] computer. The example used was the Dutch railway system. The problem was chosen because it could be explained quickly and the result checked. Dijkstra also made important contributions to many areas of computing – in particular on problems relating to concurrency, such as the invention of the ''[[semaphore (programming)|semaphore]]''.
|-
|1957
|US
|Frosch and Derick manufacture the first semiconductor oxide(SiO2) field effect transistors; the first planar transistors, in which drain and source were adjacent at the same surface.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Frosch |first1=C. J. |last2=Derick |first2=L |date=1957 |title=Surface Protection and Selective Masking during Diffusion in Silicon |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1.2428650 |journal=Journal of the Electrochemical Society |language=en |volume=104 |issue=9 |pages=547 |doi=10.1149/1.2428650|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1957|1957}}
| US
| First [[dot-matrix printer|dot matrix printer]] marketed by IBM.
|-
|1957
|France
|The [[Bull Gamma 60|Gamma 60]] is announced by Bull, becoming the first computer featuring an architecture specially designed for parallelism.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1957|1957}}
| US
| FORTRAN development finished. See 1954.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1957|1957}}
| US
| {{blockquote|I have travelled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year.{{context inline|date=July 2021}}|Editor in charge of business books for [[Prentice Hall]]}}
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1958|1958}}
| US
| Programming language [[Lisp (programming language)|LISP]] (interpreted) developed, Finished in 1960. LISP stands for 'LISt Processing'. Used in AI development. Developed by [[John McCarthy (computer scientist)|John McCarthy]] at [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1958|1958}}
| USSR
| [[Setun]], a [[balanced ternary]] computer developed in 1958 at [[Moscow State University]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1958-09-12|12&nbsp;Sep 1958}}
| US
| The [[integrated circuit]] invented by [[Jack Kilby]] at [[Texas Instruments]].
[[Robert Noyce]], who later set up [[Intel]], also worked separately on the invention. Intel later went on to perfect the microprocessor. The patent was applied for in 1959 and granted in 1964. This patent was not accepted by Japan so Japanese businesses could avoid paying any fees, but in 1989{{Snd}}after a 30-year legal battle{{Snd}}Japan granted the patent; so all Japanese companies paid fees up until the year 2001{{Snd}}long after the patent became obsolete in the rest of the world.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1959|1959}}
| World
| Computers introduced between 1959 and 1964, often regarded as ''second-generation'' computers, were based on discrete transistors and printed circuits{{Snd}}resulting in smaller, more powerful and more reliable computers. 
|-
|1959
|UK
|[[Christopher Strachey]], who became Oxford University's first professor of computation, filed a patent application for [[time-sharing]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Computer Pioneers – Christopher Strachey|url=https://history.computer.org/pioneers/strachey.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515062531/https://history.computer.org/pioneers/strachey.html|archive-date=2019-05-15|access-date=2020-01-23|website=IEEE Computer Society}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Reminiscences on the Theory of Time-Sharing|url=http://jmc.stanford.edu/computing-science/timesharing.html|access-date=2020-01-23|website=jmc.stanford.edu|archive-date=2018-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023181312/http://jmc.stanford.edu/computing-science/timesharing.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Computer – Time-sharing and minicomputers|url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/computer|access-date=2020-01-23|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=2015-01-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102192452/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/130429/computer/216032/Invention-of-the-modern-computer|url-status=live}}</ref> He passed the concept on to [[J. C. R. Licklider]] at a [[International Federation for Information Processing#History|UNESCO-sponsored conference on Information Processing]] in Paris that year.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gillies |first1=James M. |url=https://archive.org/details/howwebwasbornsto00gill |title=How the Web was Born: The Story of the World Wide Web |last2=Gillies |first2=James |last3=Gillies |first3=James and Cailliau Robert |last4=Cailliau |first4=R. |date=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-286207-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/howwebwasbornsto00gill/page/13 13] |language=en |url-access=registration}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1959|1959}}
| US
| [[COBOL]] (COmmon Business-Oriented Language) developed by Grace Murray Hopper as the successor to [[FLOW-MATIC]], finished in 1961.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1959|1959}}
| USSR
| [[Minsk family of computers|Minsk]] [[mainframe computer]] development and production begun in the USSR. Stopped in 1975.
|-
|1959
|US
|Following Frosch and Derick research at Bell Labs,<ref name="Lojek1202">{{cite book |last1=Lojek |first1=Bo |title=History of Semiconductor Engineering |date=2007 |publisher=[[Springer Science & Business Media]] |isbn=9783540342588 |page=120}}</ref> [[Mohamed Atalla]] and [[Dawon Kahng]] proposed a silicon MOS transistor in 1959.<ref name="Bassett22">{{cite book |last1=Bassett |first1=Ross Knox |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UUbB3d2UnaAC&pg=PA22 |title=To the Digital Age: Research Labs, Start-up Companies, and the Rise of MOS Technology |date=2007 |publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8018-8639-3 |pages=22–23}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Atalla |first1=M. |author1-link=Mohamed Atalla |last2=Kahng |first2=D. |author2-link=Dawon Kahng |date=1960 |title=Silicon-silicon dioxide field induced surface devices |journal=IRE-AIEE Solid State Device Research Conference}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1959|1959}}
| US
| The [[silicon]] [[integrated circuit]] developed by [[Robert Noyce]] at [[Fairchild Semiconductor]], using [[Jean Hoerni]]'s [[planar process]].
In contrast to Kilby's [[germanium]] [[integrated circuit]], Noyce developed a [[silicon]] integrated circuit, using [[Jean Hoerni]]'s [[planar process]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.computerhistory.org/siliconengine/practical-monolithic-integrated-circuit-concept-patented/|title=1959: Practical Monolithic Integrated Circuit Concept Patented &#124; the Silicon Engine &#124; Computer History Museum|access-date=2019-07-30|archive-date=2019-10-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024144046/https://www.computerhistory.org/siliconengine/practical-monolithic-integrated-circuit-concept-patented/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1959|1959}}
| US
| Douglas E. Eastwood and [[Douglas McIlroy]] of Bell Labs created Macro [[Symbolic Assembly Program|SAP]], the first programming language with advanced [[Macro (computer science)|macro]] capabilities. The following year McIlroy published a seminal paper in the fields of [[general-purpose macro processor|macro processors]] and programming language extensibility.
|}

== 1960s ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date
! Place
! class="unsortable" | Event
|-
|1960
|US
|A working [[MOSFET]] is built by a team at Bell Labs. E. E. LaBate and E. I. Povilonis made the device; M. O. Thurston, L. A. D’Asaro, and J. R. Ligenza developed the diffusion processes, and H. K. Gummel and R. Lindner characterized the device.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=KAHNG |first=D. |date=1961 |title=Silicon-Silicon Dioxide Surface Device |url=https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814503464_0076 |journal=Technical Memorandum of Bell Laboratories |pages=583–596 |doi=10.1142/9789814503464_0076 |isbn=978-981-02-0209-5|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lojek |first=Bo |title=History of Semiconductor Engineering |date=2007 |publisher=Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg |isbn=978-3-540-34258-8 |location=Berlin, Heidelberg |page=321}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1960|1960}}
| US<br />EUR
| [[ALGOL]], first structured, procedural, programming language to be released.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1960|1960}}
| UK
| The first [[compiler-compiler]] is released.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1961|1961}}
| US
| [[APL programming language]] released by [[Kenneth E. Iverson|Kenneth Iverson]] at IBM.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1961|1961}}
| US
| The [[Transit (satellite)#The AN/UYK-1 (TRW-130) Computer|AN/UYK-1]] ([[TRW Inc.#Semiconductors and computers|TRW-130]]) computer was designed with rounded edges to fit through the hatch of [[ballistic missile submarine]]s, as part of the first [[satellite navigation system]], [[Transit (satellite)|Transit]].
|-
|1961
|US
|The [[Molecular Electronic Computer]], the first integrated circuits general-purpose computer (built for demonstration purposes, programmed to simulate a desk calculator), was built by [[Texas Instruments]] for the [[United States Air Force|US Air Force]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102646283|title=Molecular Electronic Computer brochure {{!}} 102646283 {{!}} Computer History Museum|year=1961|publisher=Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI)|language=en|access-date=2018-03-13|archive-date=2018-03-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314042854/http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102646283|url-status=live}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1962|1962}}
| UK
| [[Atlas Computer|ATLAS]] is completed by the University of Manchester team.
This machine introduced many modern architectural concepts: spooling, interrupts, pipelining, interleaved memory, virtual memory and paging. It was the most powerful machine in the world at the time of release.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1962|1962}}
| US
| Work begun on the [[LINC]], the brainchild of the MIT physicist [[Wesley A. Clark]] in May 1961. It was the first functional prototype of a computer scaled down to be optimized and priced for the individual user (about $43,600{{Snd}}{{Inflation|US|43,600|1962|fmt=eq|r=-2}}). Used for the first time at the National Institutes of Mental Health in Bethesda, [[Maryland]] in 1963. Many consider it to be the first personal computer, despite the big dimension of some elements, e.g. the memory rack.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://history-computer.com/ModernComputer/Personal/LINC.html |title=history-computer.com: LINC |access-date=2018-01-19 |archive-date=2018-01-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114032816/http://history-computer.com/ModernComputer/Personal/LINC.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1962|1962}}
| US
| [[Spacewar!]], an early and highly influential computer game, is written by [[MIT]] student [[Steve Russell (computer scientist)|Steve Russell]].
The game ran on a [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] [[PDP-1]]. Competing players fired at each other's space ships using an early version of a [[joystick]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1963|1963}}
| US
| [[Mouse (computing)|Mouse]] conceived by [[Douglas Engelbart]].{{citation needed|date=July 2013|reason=I have seen statements towards 1965, 1964, 1963 and even 1961, so this should be sorted out and sourced in better details, in particular as Telefunken offered a ball mouse in 1968 even before Engelbart. See mouse article for details.}}
The mouse was not to become popular until 1983 with [[Apple Computer]]'s [[Apple Lisa|Lisa]] and [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]] and not adopted by IBM until 1987{{Snd}}although compatible computers such as the [[Amstrad]] [[PC1512]] were fitted with mice before this date.
|-
|1964
|US
|[[Paul Baran]] proposes a method for using low-cost electronics (without software switches) for digital communication of voice messages.<ref>{{cite web |title=Inductee Details – Paul Baran |url=http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=316 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906091231/http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=316 |archive-date=6 September 2017 |access-date=6 September 2017 |publisher=National Inventors Hall of Fame}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=2015-05-30|title=The real story of how the Internet became so vulnerable|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/business/2015/05/30/net-of-insecurity-part-1/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530231409/http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/business/2015/05/30/net-of-insecurity-part-1/|archive-date=2015-05-30|access-date=2020-02-18|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en-US|quote=Historians credit seminal insights to Welsh scientist Donald W. Davies and American engineer Paul Baran}}</ref> Baran published a series of briefings and papers about dividing information into "message blocks" and sending it over distributed networks between 1960 and 1964.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Baran|first=Paul|date=2002|title=The beginnings of packet switching: some underlying concepts|url=http://web.cs.ucla.edu/~lixia/papers/Baran2002.pdf|journal=IEEE Communications Magazine|language=en|volume=40|issue=7|pages=42–48|doi=10.1109/MCOM.2002.1018006|issn=0163-6804|quote=Essentially all the work was defined by 1961, and fleshed out and put into formal written form in 1962. The idea of hot potato routing dates from late 1960.|access-date=2021-10-16|archive-date=2021-10-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016191831/http://web.cs.ucla.edu/~lixia/papers/Baran2002.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author=<!-- not stated --> |title=Paul Baran and the Origins of the Internet|url=https://www.rand.org/about/history/baran.html|access-date=2025-01-07|website=Rand |language=en|archive-date=2018-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923235141/https://www.rand.org/about/history/baran.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1964|1964}}
| US
| Computers built between 1964 and 1972 are often regarded as ''third-generation'' computers; they are based on the first integrated circuits{{Snd}}creating even smaller machines. Typical of such machines were the [[HP 2116A]] and [[Data General Nova]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1964|1964}}
| US
| Programming language [[PL/I]] released by IBM.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1964|1964}}
| US
| Launch of IBM System/360{{Snd}}the first series of compatible computers, reversing and stopping the evolution of separate "business" and "scientific" machine architectures; all models used the same basic instruction set architecture and register sizes, in theory allowing programs to be migrated to more or less powerful models as needs changed. The basic unit of memory, the "byte", was defined as 8 bits, with larger units such as "words" defined with sizes that were multiples of 8 bits, with many consequences. Many competing computers at the time used word sizes that were multiples of 6 bits. The marketing term "IBM Compatible" was often used, at this time, to indicate that the architecture used [[8-bit computing|8-bit]] bytes. Over 14,000 were shipped by 1968. 
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1964|1964}}
| US
| [[Project MAC]] begun at [[MIT]] by [[Joseph Licklider|J.C.R. Licklider]]: several terminals all across campus will be connected to a central computer, using a timesharing mechanism. [[Bulletin board]]s and [[email]] are popular applications.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1964|1964}}
| US
| [[Sabre (travel reservation system)|Sabre]] launched.<ref name="Kirschenbaum2013">{{citation |author=Kirschenbaum |first=Matthew |title=10 Most Influential Software Programs Ever |date=July 2013 |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/07/30/_10_most_influential_software_programs_of_all_time_from_sabre_to_minecraft.html |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=2015-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829094102/http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/07/30/_10_most_influential_software_programs_of_all_time_from_sabre_to_minecraft.html |url-status=live |location=US |archive-date=2015-08-29}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1965|1965}}
| US
| [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] [[PDP-8]] Mini Computer was released.<!-- Was it released at this time? Add "was released" if so. --> It was the first minicomputer, built by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). It cost US$18,500 ({{Inflation|US|18500|1965|fmt=eq|r=-2|cursign=about $}}).
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1965|1965}}
| US
| [[Moore's law]] published by [[Gordon Moore]]. Originally suggesting integrated circuit complexity doubled every year. It was published in the 35th Anniversary edition of [[Electronics (magazine)|''Electronics'' magazine]]. The law was revised in 1975 to suggest a doubling in complexity every two years.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1965|1965}}
| US
| [[Fuzzy logic]] designed by [[Lotfi Zadeh]] ([[University of California, Berkeley]]), it is used to process approximate data{{Snd}}such as 'about 100'.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1965|1965}}
| US
| Programming language [[BASIC]] (Beginners All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) developed at [[Dartmouth College]], US, by [[Thomas E. Kurtz]] and [[John George Kemeny]]. This was the first language designed to be used in a time-sharing environment, such as DTSS (Dartmouth Time-Sharing System), or [[GCOS (operating system)|GCOS]]. BASIC was [[Altair BASIC|implemented]] on microcomputers in 1975. 
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1965|1965}}
| UK
| [[Donald Davies]] independently invents [[packet switching]] used in modern [[computer network]]ing.<ref name="NIHF2007">{{cite web |title=Inductee Details – Donald Watts Davies |url=http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=328 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906091936/http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=328 |archive-date=6 September 2017 |access-date=6 September 2017 |publisher=National Inventors Hall of Fame}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Davies conceived of and named the concept for [[data communication]] in 1965 and 1966.<ref name="Roberts1978">{{cite web|last1=Roberts|first1=Dr. Lawrence G.|date=November 1978|title=The Evolution of Packet Switching|url=http://www.packet.cc/files/ev-packet-sw.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324033133/http://www.packet.cc/files/ev-packet-sw.html|archive-date=2016-03-24|access-date=5 September 2017|quote=Almost immediately after the 1965 meeting, Donald Davies conceived of the details of a store-and-forward packet switching system|postscript=none}}; {{cite web|last1=Roberts|first1=Dr. Lawrence G.|date=May 1995|title=The ARPANET & Computer Networks|url=http://www.packet.cc/files/arpanet-computernet.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324032800/http://www.packet.cc/files/arpanet-computernet.html|archive-date=2016-03-24|access-date=13 April 2016|quote=Then in June 1966, Davies wrote a second internal paper, "Proposal for a Digital Communication Network" In which he coined the word packet,- a small sub part of the message the user wants to send, and also introduced the concept of an "Interface computer" to sit between the user equipment and the packet network.}}</ref><ref>{{citation |author=Davies |first=Donald |title=A Historical Study of the Beginnings of Packet Switching |date=2001 |url=http://comjnl.oxfordjournals.org/content/44/3/152.extract |journal=Computer Journal, British Computer Society|volume=44 |issue=3 |pages=152–162 |doi=10.1093/comjnl/44.3.152 |url-access=subscription }}{{dead link|date=May 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Many packet-switched networks built in the 1970s, including the [[ARPANET]], were similar "in nearly all respects" to his original 1965 design.<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=2017-09-17|quote=In nearly all respects, Davies’ original proposal, developed in late 1965, was similar to the actual networks being built today.|archive-date=2018-12-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231092936/http://www.ismlab.usf.edu/dcom/Ch10_Roberts_EvolutionPacketSwitching_IEEE_1978.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1965|1965}}
| US
| The first [[supercomputer]], the Control Data [[CDC 6600]], was developed.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1966|1966}}
| US
| [[Hewlett-Packard]] entered the general-purpose computer business with its [[HP 2100|HP-2116A]] for computation, offering power formerly found only in much larger computers. It supported a wide variety of languages, among them [[ALGOL]], [[BASIC]], and [[FORTRAN]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1967|1967}}
| US/CH
| Development of programming language [[Pascal (programming language)|Pascal]] begun, continued in Switzerland from 1968 to 1971.<ref>Stefan Betschon: ''Der Zauber des Anfangs – Schweizer Computerpioniere.'' In: ''Ingenieure bauen die Schweiz.'' Franz Betschon et al. (editors), pp. 376–399, Verlag Neue Zuercher Zeitung, Zurich 2013, {{ISBN|978-3-03823-791-4}}</ref> Based on ALGOL. Developed by [[Niklaus Wirth]] as a pedagogic tool. 
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1967|1967}}
| US
| The [[floppy disk]] is invented at [[IBM]] under the direction of [[Alan Shugart]], for use as a microprogram load device for the [[System/370]] and peripheral controllers.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1967-08-01|Aug 1967}}
| UK
| [[Electronics World#Computers|Wireless World]] magazine's low cost Digital Computer published in 5 parts. 8-Bit serial design demonstrator using germanium transistors.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Crank|first=Brian|date=August 1967|title=''Wireless World'' Digital Computer|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Wireless-World/60s/Wireless-World-1967-08.pdf|journal=Wireless World|language=en|volume=73|issue=8|pages=366–372}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1968|1968}}
| US
| [[Intel]] founded by [[Robert Noyce]] and a few friends.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1968|1968}}
| US
| Programming language [[Logo (programming language)|LOGO]] developed by [[Wally Feurzeig]], [[Seymour Papert]], and [[Cynthia Solomon]] at MIT.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1968|1968}}
| US
| Release of [[Hewlett-Packard 9100A]], the [[programmable calculator]] (first [[scientific calculator]]) from HP. 
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1968|1968}}
| US
| {{Rquote|left|But what ... is it good for?{{context inline|date=July 2021}}|Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM commenting on the microchip.}}
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1968-10-02|2&nbsp;Oct 1968}}
| GER
| First computer [[ball mouse]] offered by Telefunken.<ref name="Bülow_2009_Rollkugel">{{cite web |url=http://www.heise.de/newsticker/Auf-den-Spuren-der-deutschen-Computermaus--/meldung/136901 |title=Auf den Spuren der deutschen Computermaus |trans-title=In the footsteps of the German computer mouse |language=de |publisher=Heise Verlag |date=2009-04-28 |access-date=2013-01-07 |archive-date=2013-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127230503/http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Auf-den-Spuren-der-deutschen-Computermaus-216255.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="OldMouse_Telefunken">{{cite web|url=http://www.oldmouse.com/mouse/misc/telefunken.shtml|title=Telefunken's 'Rollkugel'|publisher=oldmouse.com|access-date=2013-08-17|archive-date=2013-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808075232/http://www.oldmouse.com/mouse/misc/telefunken.shtml|url-status=usurped}}</ref> The device named ''{{lang|de|[[Rollkugel (mouse device)|Rollkugel]]}}'' [[RKS 100-86]] is based on "reversing" an earlier [[trackball]]-like device (also named ''{{lang|de|[[Rollkugel (trackball device)|Rollkugel]]}}'') embedded into radar flight control desks, which had been developed around 1965<!-- exact year not known --> by a team led by {{lang|de|[[Rainer Mallebrein]]}} at Telefunken {{lang|de|Konstanz}} for the German ''{{lang|de|{{Interlanguage link|Bundesanstalt für Flugsicherung|de}}}}'' as part of their [[Telefunken TR 86|TR&nbsp;86]] process computer system with its [[Telefunken SIG 100|SIG&nbsp;100-86]]<ref>{{cite web
|title=SIG-100 video terminal and mouse
|url=http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/input-output/14/346/1874
|access-date=2013-08-17
|archive-date=2013-08-27
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827055238/http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/input-output/14/346/1874
|url-status=live
}}</ref> vector graphics terminal.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1968-12-09|9&nbsp;Dec 1968}}
| US
| [[Douglas Engelbart]] [[The Mother of All Demos|demonstrates]] interactive computing at the [[Fall Joint Computer Conference]] in San Francisco: [[computer mouse|mouse]], on-screen windows, [[hypertext]] and full-screen [[word processing]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1969|1969}}
| US
| The [[NPL network]] was the first network to implement packet switching in early 1969.<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 name=":72">{{Cite conference |last1=Rayner |first1=David |last2=Barber |first2=Derek |last3=Scantlebury |first3=Roger |last4=Wilkinson |first4=Peter |date=2001 |title=NPL, Packet Switching and the Internet |url=http://www.topquark.co.uk/conf/IAP2001.html |conference=Symposium of the Institution of Analysts & Programmers 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030807200346/http://www.topquark.co.uk/conf/IAP2001.html |archive-date=2003-08-07 |access-date=2024-06-13 |quote=The system first went 'live' early in 1969 |website=}}</ref> The [[ARPANET]], funded by the [[United States Department of Defense]] for research into computer [[resource sharing]], connected two packet switches ([[Interface Message Processor|Interface Message Processors]]) on November 21, 1969, between Stanford and UCLA. It was opened to non-military users later in the 1970s including many universities.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1969|1969}}
| US
| Development of [[Unix|UNIX]] operating system begun.<ref name="ford2014">{{citation |author=Ford |first=Paul |title=The Great Works of Software |date=April 2014 |url=https://medium.com/message/the-great-works-of-software-705b87339971 |access-date=2015-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817035626/https://medium.com/message/the-great-works-of-software-705b87339971 |url-status=live |archive-date=2015-08-17 |via=[[Medium (publishing platform)|Medium]]}}</ref>
It was later released as [[C (programming language)|C]] source code to aid portability, and subsequently versions are obtainable for many different computers, including the [[IBM PC]]. It and its clones (such as [[Linux]]) are still widely used on network servers and scientific workstations. Originally developed by [[Ken Thompson (computer programmer)|Ken Thompson]] and [[Dennis Ritchie]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1969-04-07|7&nbsp;Apr 1969}}
| US
| The first [[Request for Comments]], RFC 1 was published by [[Steve Crocker]]. The RFCs (network [[working group]], Request For Comment) are a series of papers which are used to develop and define protocols for networking; originally the basis for ARPANET, there are now thousands of them applying to all aspects of the [[Internet]]. Collectively they document everything about the way the Internet and computers on it should behave, such as [[Internet protocol suite|TCP/IP]] networking or how email headers should be written.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1969|1969}}
| ?
| Introduction of the [[RS-232]] (serial interface) standard by EIA ([[Electronic Industries Association]]), one of the oldest serial interfaces still (uncommonly) in use today.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1969|1969}}
| US
| [[Data General]] shipped a total of 50,000 Novas at US$8,000 each. The [[Data General Nova|Nova]] was one of the first [[16-bit computing|16-bit]] minicomputers. It was first to employ medium-scale integration (MSI) circuits from [[Fairchild Semiconductor]], with subsequent models using large-scale integrated (LSI) circuits. Also notable was that the entire central processor was contained on one 15-inch [[printed circuit board]].
|}

== 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.
|}

== See also ==
* [[Information revolution]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://trillian.randomstuff.org.uk/~stephen/history/ ''A Brief History of Computing,''] by Stephen White. A computer history site; the present article is a modified version of his timeline, used with [[Wikipedia:History of computing/Permission|permission]].

{{Timelines of computing}}

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