Computer History

• 1. By: KaitlynMay 2011

2. Introduction

• Computers are the most widely used piece of technology throughout the world.

• The development of computers was a gradual process that started more than 2,000 years ago!

3. The Abacus

• The Babylonians created the first computer during the 4 thcentury.

• It was called an abacus which is an instrument that was used in different cultures for making fast arithmetic and astronomical calculations.

4. Analog Computers

• Astronomical calculations eventually led the ancient Greeks and the medieval Muslim astronomers to invent the astronomical analog computers.

• The first ever analog computer that you could program was Al-Jazaris astronomical clock, which was invented in 1206.

5. The Invention Of Calculators

• Wilhelm Shickard invented the mechanical calculator in 1623.

• Blaise Pascal added gears to this invention in 1642, but it was not a success because the gears would jam.

• Charles Thomas created the first mass produced calculator in 1820. It was called the arithmometer .

6. The Arithmometer

• The arithmometer was based on the work of Gottfried Wilhelm Von Leibniz.

• It could add, subtract, multiply and divide.

7. The Difference Engine

• The difference engine is a massive steam-powered mechanical calculator that could print, invented by Charles Babbage.

• The British government cancelled the project.

• Charles Babbage to work on another project called the analytical engine which was a mechanical computer that was capable of solving any mathematical problem.

8. The Tabulating Machine

• Herman Hollerith designed something called the tabulating machine in 1890.

• The device could automatically read census information that had been punched into a card.

• This was a very successful creation and Herman built a firm called IBM, where he marketed the device!

9. IMBs Great Success

• Around 1941, American Howard Aiken and several of IMBs greatest engineers got together.

• They designed a large automatic digital computer and called it Harvard Mark I.

• Their creation was a huge success!

10. Microcomputers

• Microcomputers are compact digital computers that run by a microprocessor.In 1971 microprocessors were invented. Theymade it possible for almost anyone to have their own computer.

• At first computers were limited to the military, universities, and very large companies.

• The microprocessor made it possible for microcomputers and minicomputers to be created.

11. The Altair 8800

• The first minicomputer was the Altair 8800, created by MITS.

• The disadvantage of the Altair 8800 is that it had no software and the owner had to create their own personal software to use it.

• This prompted two young hackers, William Gates and Paul Allen.

12. Bill Gates & Paul Allen

• Bill Gates and Paul Allen offered computer software called BASIC, to MITS.

• The computer software couldhelp computer scientists program microcomputers.

• The two men later created their own company, which is now known as Microsoft.

13. After The Introduction Of Altair

• After the Altair, many more microcomputers were developed.

• Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak designed Apple computers.

• Tandy Radio Shack created the TRS-80.

• IMB created the IMB PC for home markets.

• After time, it was Apple and IMB that raced each other in providing home markets with computers.

• They both were determined on designingattractive and user-friendly personal computers.

14. Present Day Computers

• Computers have come a long way from the simple abacus.

• They have also become more dependable and easier to use.

• There are plenty of different types of computers on the market.

• They include; mainframes, desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, media centers, and personal digital assistants.

15. Bibliography

• http://www.pcbargainhunter.com/articles/history-of-the-computer.html