21st January in the Tech World
The 21st of January seems a usual date, we don’t have anything specific to remember. But if we search for a timeline, we’ll find out that there are several things that happened today and helped us to develop computer science.
Jan 21, 1939: Calculator
George Stibitz completed a relay-based calculator which calculated using binary addition. Bell Labs subsequently authorised a full research program in late 1938 with Stibitz at the helm. Their , completed in November 1939 and put into operation in 1940, was able to do calculations on complex numbers. In a demonstration in September 1940, Stibitz used a modified teletype to send commands to the Complex Number Computer in New York over telegraph lines.It was the first computing machine ever used remotely.
Jan 21, 1944: First Computer
Designed by British engineer Tommy Flowers, the Colossus is designed to break the complex Lorenz ciphers used by the Nazis during World War II. A total of ten Colossi were delivered, each using as many as 2,500 vacuum tubes. A series of pulleys transported continuous rolls of punched paper tape containing possible solutions to a particular code. Colossus reduced the time to break Lorenz messages from weeks to hours. Most historians believe that the use of Colossus machines significantly shortened the war by providing evidence of enemy intentions and beliefs. The machine’s existence was not made public until the 1970s.
Jan 21, 1947: Keyboard
The first key board is used and created instead of punch cards. Now people can efficiently enter in information quickly. It was an electro-mechanically controlled typewriter which inputs data directly onto magnetic tape in order to feed in computer data and print results. The emerging electric typewriter further improved the technological marriage between the typewriter and the computer.
Jan 21, 1950: Digital Computer
On September 19th 1950, in Japan, the first electronic computer is created by a team led by Hideo Yamachita. People saw that it was possible to create an electronic computer so they began to work on their own versions of it. This was the first electronic computer, which allowed more data to be released and read easily, and it made an impact worldwide.
Jan 21, 1963: The Computer Mouse
The mouse was invented by Douglas Engelbart in 1964 and consisted of a wooden shell, circuit board and two metal wheels that came into contact with the surface it was being used on. He christened the device the mouse as early models had a cord attached to the rear part of the device which looked like a tail, and in turn resembled the common mouse.
Jan 21, 1972: The First Video Game
With its simplistic volleying of a tiny pixel between two vertical paddles, 1972’s Pong has come to represent the first generation of video game play. It was simple, it was low-tech, and it was addictive. It was an application to make the computer more appealing or entertaining to more people. This invention brought much attention to computers, making them and video games more exciting and popular.
Jan 21, 1975: Portable Computer
A portable computer was a computer designed to be easily moved from one place to another and included a display and keyboard. The Altair 8800 from Micro Instrumentation Telemetry Systems(MITS) of Albuquerque, NM, is considered by many to be the first “personal computer” — a computer that is easily affordable and obtainable. Altair 8800 for the first time included everything in one kit — assembly instructions, metal case, power supply, and all of the boards and components required to build “the most powerful computer ever presented as a construction project in any electronics magazine”.
Jan 21, 1986: Computers in the USA
Computers are booming in USA! Since the beginning of the computer line up till now, over 30 million computers are used in the US.
Who could have thought that so many technology events happened in this date! What else should we expect…?
Feeling a little blue in January is normal.
Marilu Henner
