History of Computers

Tally Sticks - First known computing aid.

Abacus - Ancient calculator, still in use.

Orrery - Mechanical device that computes planets' orbits.

Difference Engine - Charles Babbage: Mechanical single-purpose computer.

Analytical Engine - Babbage: First stored-program computer.

First Programmer - Ada Lovelace: First to understand the potential of programs for non-numeric data.

Alan Turing wins World War II - Alan Turing leads a team that breaks the Enigma code using a very early electronic programmable computer.

First Mouse, Window System, etc. - Douglas Engelbart: An amazing number of firsts, including first hypertext, first collaborative editing, first video calling, much more.

Sketchpad - Ivan Sutherland: First object-oriented programming system, early interactive display graphics.

ARPANET - The first version of what became the Internet.

The Internet - First network of networks, based on TCP/IP.

The World Wide Web - Tim Berners-Lee: First widely available hypertext (clickable links) system.

First Smartphones - First portable devices combining cell phone with pocket computer.

Chess program beats world champion - Deep Fritz program beats Vladimir Kramnik.

Siri - Apple's personal assistant for the iPhone.

Pokémon Go - First widely used augmented reality game.

IBM Quantum Experience - A 16-qubit quantum computer available for free use on the Internet.