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Category Archives: Computer history
Hacking and Blue Boxes
Today in 1963, the earliest known use of the term “hacking” appeared in The Tech, MIT’s student newspaper. From a Brief History of Hackerdom: “The beginnings of the hacker culture as we know it today can be conveniently dated to … Continue reading
The Uses of Computers, 1937-Future
Today in 1937, Howard Aiken, an instructor in the Department of Physics at Harvard University, having been turned down by the leading manufacturer of calculators (the Monroe Calculating Machine Company), submitted a proposal to IBM, titled “Proposed Automatic Calculating Machine.”
First Computer Virus
Today in 1983, “the first virus was conceived of as an experiment to be presented at a weekly seminar on computer security. The concept was first introduced in this seminar by the author, and the name ‘virus’ was thought of … Continue reading
The Internet Goes Live
Today in 1969, the first message was sent over the ARPANET, the predecessor of the Internet, between a network node at UCLA and another one at SRI. Leonard Kleinrock: “At the UCLA end, they typed in the ‘l’ and asked … Continue reading
Posted in Computer history, This day in information
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The Counter-Computer Culture B.S.J.
“Ready or not, computers are coming to the people.”–Stewart Brand, 1972
Posted in Computer history, Quotes, Yesterday's Futures
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iPod at 10: A Computer in Your Pocket
Today in 2001, Steve Jobs introduced the iPod at a special event at Apple’s headquarters, telling the assembled reporters “This is a major, major breakthrough.” There were other music players on the market at the time but they were conceived … Continue reading
First Killer App
Today in 1979, the first production copy (version 1.37) of VisiCalc was shipped. Wikipedia: “Conceived by Dan Bricklin, refined by Bob Frankston, developed by their company Software Arts, and distributed by Personal Software in 1979 (later named VisiCorp) for the Apple II computer, … Continue reading
Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs, Creating New Industries
Today in 1931, Thomas Edison died. He will be remembered as the most prolific inventor in U.S. history, having registered 1,093 U.S. patents over the course of his lifetime. Harold Evans in They Made America: “Hundreds of his 1,093 patents … Continue reading
Dennis Ritchie, 1941-2011
Today in 1973, Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson presented their first paper on Unix at the fourth ACM Symposium on Operating Systems Principles (SOSP) held October 15 – 17 at Purdue University.
Think, Think, Think
Today in 1997, Apple Computer launched the “Think different” marketing campaign. The campaign’s television commercials featured black-and-white footage of 17 iconic 20th century personalities and a free-verse poem read by Richard Dreyfuss:
Posted in Advertising, Apple, Computer history, Google, IBM, Quotes
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