Timeline by Salae Garland

1939

30garlands — 2024-11-14 14:59:57 UTC

In 1939, two significant developments in early computing took place. In the U.S., the Model K Adder, built on a “kitchen” table, demonstrated the use of Boolean logic in computer design, leading to the construction of the Model I Complex Calculator, a relay-based machine. At the same time in Germany, engineer Konrad Zuse built the Z2, one of the first programmable computers, also using telephone company relays. Both innovations were crucial steps in the development of modern computing.

1941

30garlands — 2024-11-14 15:01:25 UTC

In 1941, Konrad Zuse built the Z3, an early computer that used 2,300 relays and was capable of performing floating-point binary arithmetic with a 22-bit word length. Working in isolation from other developments in computing, Zuse used the Z3 for aerodynamic calculations. However, the original Z3 was destroyed in a bombing raid on Berlin in late 1943. In the 1960s, Zuse supervised a reconstruction of the Z3, which is now on display at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

1946

30garlands — 2024-11-14 15:01:52 UTC

In the summer of 1946, an inspiring summer school on computing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electrical Engineering sparked the development of stored-program computers at universities and research institutions across the U.S., France, the UK, and Germany. The lectures were given by early computer pioneers like John von Neumann, Howard Aiken, J. Presper Eckert, and John Mauchly, as well as mathematicians such as Derrick Lehmer, George Stibitz, and Douglas Hartree. Notable students included future computing pioneers like Maurice Wilkes, Claude Shannon, David Rees, and Jay Forrester. This influential series of lectures inspired the creation of machines like the EDSAC, BINAC, and later IAS machine clones, including the AVIDAC.

1950

30garlands — 2024-11-14 15:02:20 UTC

In the early 1950s, several key computing milestones took place. The ERA 1101, one of the first commercially produced computers, was designed for high-speed computing with a magnetic drum for storage, and was first sold to the U.S. Navy. Its architecture influenced later computers by Remington-Rand. In Britain, the Pilot ACE, based on Alan Turing’s ideas, was completed at the National Physical Laboratory, using 800 vacuum tubes to perform diverse tasks through programming. In the U.S., Edmund Berkeley published plans for the Simon 1, a small, affordable relay-based computer for hobbyists. Meanwhile, the SEAC, one of the first stored-program computers, was completed to test components and standards, while also producing the first scanned image in 1957. The SWAC, built at UCLA, was used for numerical analysis, including climate modeling and discovering new Mersenne primes. These developments were pivotal in shaping early computer technology.

1954

30garlands — 2024-11-14 15:02:53 UTC

The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) computer, developed under the supervision of mathematician John von Neumann, became a pioneering project in the early 1950s. It introduced the stored program concept, which allowed both data and instructions to be stored in memory, revolutionizing how computers operated. Designed for scientific calculations, the IAS computer played a crucial role in the U.S. atomic weapons program. Its design was widely copied, leading to machines like the MANIAC at Los Alamos, the ILLIAC at the University of Illinois, the Johnniac at the Rand Corporation, and the SILLIAC in Australia, all following its architecture and contributing to the spread of the stored-program model in computing.

1960

30garlands — 2024-11-14 15:03:22 UTC

In the early 1960s, several key computing milestones emerged. The PDP-1 minicomputer, priced around $120,000, inspired early programmers at MIT to create SpaceWar! and set the standard for minicomputers. In Japan, the NEAC 2203, a transistorized computer, was used for the country’s first real-time reservation system. In the U.S., IBM’s 7030 “Stretch” and IBM 1401 computers, both using transistors, led to significant advancements and became widely adopted, with over 12,000 1401s sold. Meanwhile, the Minuteman I missile guidance computer and the Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) pushed forward military and naval computing, with innovations in missile guidance and real-time data integration.