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Author Archives: GilPress
The Integrated Circuit: Bringing Mass Production to the Computer Industry
Today in 1958, Jack Kilby sketched a rough design of the first integrated circuit in his notebook. By the early 1960s, some computers had more than 200,000 individual electronic components–transistors, diodes, resistors, and capacitors–and connecting all of the components was becoming increasingly … Continue reading
The Rise and Fall of Typewriters
Today in 1829, William Austin Burt, a surveyor from Mount Vernon, Michigan, received a patent for the typographer, the earliest forerunner of the typewriter. Fifty-two years ago this month (July 31), IBM introduced the IBM Selectric, replacing typebars and the moving carriage with a spherical … Continue reading
Posted in Typewriters, Writing
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History of The Home Theater (Infographic)
The History of the Home Theater infographic
Who Runs the Internet? (Infographic)
Who Runs the Internet? infographic
Posted in Infographics, Internet, World Wide Web
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America’s First Television Theatre
Today in 1938, musical performances in an upstairs area at 568 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, were screened on a television display in the auditorium below, seating 200 patrons paying 25 cents each. The studio and auditorium were linked by cable. About … Continue reading
Posted in Television, This day in information
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The Day the NSA Started Using Computers
Today in 1950, Samuel S. Snyder, a cryptographer at the Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA–the forerunner to the NSA), met with Dr. A. Sinkov, then Technical Director in Communications Security (COMSEC), and his deputy. In a 1973 declassified paper (PDF, … Continue reading
Posted in Computer history, NSA, This day in information
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First (?) Mention of Computer Programs
Today in 1836, Charles Babbage wrote in his notebook: “This day I had for the first time a general but very indistinct conception of the possibility of making an engine work out algebraic developments. I mean without any reference to the value of the letters. My … Continue reading
Posted in Analog, Computer history, Programming, Software
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Inventing the Modern Pencil
From Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings, quoting John D. Barrow’s 100 Essential Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know: Math Explains Your World “The modern pencil was invented in 1795 by Nicholas-Jacques Conte, a scientist serving in the army of Napoleon Bonaparte. The magic … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
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Bipolar Junction Transistor Announced
Today in 1951, the bipolar junction transistor was announced by its inventor, William Shockley. It was an improvement over the bipolar point-contact transistor which was invented four years earlier by John Bardeen and Walter Brattain and became the device of … Continue reading
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