The Story of Computer

Timeline
1904	Sir John Ambrose Fleming invents the vacuum tube and diode.
1939	John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry invent the first electronic computer at Iowa State University. In 1973 a judge in a patent infringement suit would rule that this research was the idea source for the modern computer.
1940	Konrad Zuse in Germany develops the first programmable calculator using binary numbers and Boolean logic. His program runs on a paper tape.
1943	The world's first electronic valve programmable logic calculator, the Colossus, is built in Britain for the purpose of breaking Nazis codes. On average, Colossus deciphers a coded message in two hours.
1945	Alan Turing publishes his paper on the Universal Machine, laying out the principles of the modern computer.
1945	John Von Neumann, working independently of Turing, writes a document describing the stored-program computer, the basis for the computer industry.
1946	ENIAC, the first electronic digital computer put into operation.
1947	John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain, and William B. Shockley of Bell Telephone Laboratories invent the transistor.
1949	Bell Labs publishes Shannon's theory of relay logic.
1951	UNIVAC becomes the first commercial computer.
1952	The first database is implemented on RCA's Bizmac computer.
1952	Admiral Grace Hopper develops the first computer compiler, leading to the creation of user-friendly languages and opening the door to a larger universe of computer applications and users.
1954	Gene Amdahl develops the first computer operating system for the IBM 704.
1955	Reynold Johnson develops the first disk drive.
1957	FORTRAN becomes commercially available.
1958	Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments invents the integrated circuit (IC).
1958	Seymour Cray of Control Data Corp. develops the first transistorized computer.
1958	ALGOL computer language, a high-level language designed specifically for programming scientific computations, comes into use.
1959	COBOL computer language is created.
1961	Silicon chips first appear.
1962	First minicomputer comes into use.
1963	Douglas Englebart, SRI, patents the idea of the computer mouse.
1964	IBM releases its Model 360computer, which will result in $100 billion in sales over its life cycle.
1964	John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz develop the BASIC computer language. Intel Chairman Gordon Moore suggests that integrated circuits would double in complexity every 18 months. This later becomes known as Moore's Law and is applied to microprocessor speed.
1965	Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC) introduces PDP-8 minicomputer.
1969	PASCAL computer language.
1971	Intel introduces its popular 4004 4-bit microprocessor, starting the evolution of Intel's famous line of 386, 486, and Pentium processors.
1973	Xerox develops first Ethernet Local Area Network (LAN) technology.
1975	Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Microsoft.
1976	Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak form the Apple Computer Company.
1976	Alan Shugart, IBM, invents the 5.25-inch floppy.
1979	Dan Bricklin introduces the Visicalc spreadsheet.
1980	Philip Estridge, IBM, develops the first hard drive for PCs. It holds 10MB.
1981	IBM introduces the PC.
1982	First IBM-compatible PC clone is introduced by Columbia Data Systems.
1983	Apple Computer introduces the Macintosh computer. Microsoft releases Microsoft Windows 1.0