1387 AD – Abacus
The abacus (plural abaci or abacuses), also called a counting
frame, is a calculating tool that was in use in Europe, China
and Russia, centuries before the adoption of the written
Hindu–Arabic numeral system. The exact origin of the abacus
is still unknown.
1910
- The Analytical Engine (First mechanical computer)
Charles Babbage comes up with the first proposal for a
mechanical computer in the year of 1837. The analytical
engine contained an ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) and
integrated memory. Funding issues delayed building of the
machine until 1910 when Henry Babbage (Charles Babbage's
youngest son) managed to assemble enough of the machine so
that it performed very basic calculations.
1936
- The Z1 (First programmable computer)
Created by Konrad Zuse and is considered to be the first
programmable and functional computer.
The Z1 consisted of about 20,000 parts and weighed 1,000 kg.
It had a clock frequency of 1Hertz and a memory which
consisted of 64 words.
1943
- The Collosus (First electronic programmable computer)
Developed by Tim Flowers and was used to help British code
breakers read encoded German messages during World War
II.
Collosus was capable of reading 5,000 characters per second
from a paper tape.
During the course of the war, Collosus successfully decrypted
63 million characters of encoded German messages.
1946
- The ENIAC (First digital computer)
The ENIAC is considered to be the worlds first fully
functional digital computer. Invented by J. Presper Eckert and
John Mauchly at the University of Pennsylvania and was
completed in 1946.
The ENIAC occupied 1,800 square feet and weighed over 50
tons.
1949
- EDSAC (First stored program computer)
Made in Britain and is considered to be the first
computer that was capable of storing and running a program.
The computer performed its first calculation in 1949. EDSAC
is also credited as being the first computer that ran a graphical
computer game.
1950
- The Z4 (First commercial computer)
The Z4 is credited as being the first commercial computer
after being sold to a Swiss mathematician in 1950. The
machine was capable of performing a range of instructions
including square root, MAX, MIN and sign.
The Z4 had a clock frequency of 40 Hertz and could perform
roughly 1000 operations per hour.
1953
- The IBM 701 (First mass produced computer)
IBM released their first electronic computer and the worlds
first mass produced computer. The 701 could perform 2,200
calculations per second and had a memory capacity of 2048
words
The machine sold a total of 19,701 units.
1955
- Whirlwind (First computer with RAM)
Researchers at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
introduced the Whirlwind machine. Whirlwind was the first
computer that made use of RAM and used real-time graphics
to output data onto a screen.
1960
- PDP-1 (Host of the first popular computer game)
The PDP-1 was designed and built in MIT and had a clock
speed of 200 kilohertz and could perform 100,000 operations
per second . The PDP-1 is famous for being the computer that
started the 'hacker' culture. It is also the hardware on which the
first popular game (spacewar) was played.
1964
- The IBM System/360 (First computer designed to run a
range of programs)
The System/360 packed a whopping 8MB of internal memory
which was large at the time. The computer was a huge success
due to its inventive design which allowed customers to easily
upgrade the machine if their needs grew.
1965
- The PDP-8 (First successful minicomputer)
Produced by Digital Equipment Corporation and sold more
than 50,000 units. This figure was the most of any computer
up to that date. The PDP-8 combined low-cost with simplicity
and expandability to make the computer available to a wider
market. It is considered to be one of the first examples of
value engineered design.
1968
- Hewlett-Packard 9100A and 9800 series (First desktop
computers)
The Hewlett-Packard 9100A is regarded as the first mass-
marketed computer as well as the first to use the term 'personal
computer'. The 9100A and 9800 series were programmable
and designed for engineers and scientists who required
complex calculations. It came at the cost of around $5,000
(which is $33,000 in today's money).
1969
- CDC 6000 series (First supercomputers)
From the period of 1964 - 1975, the CDC 6000 series were
regarded as the fastest computers in the world. They boasted a
clock speeds of up to 36.4 MHz and a core memory capacity
of 65,536 - 60 bit words. The computers carried a price tag of
$5 million - $9 million dollars and were notoriously
unreliable.
1978 – The IBM 5100 Portable Computer
The IBM 5100 Portable Computer is a portable computer (one
of the first) introduced in September 1975, six years before the
IBM Personal Computer. It was the evolution of a prototype
called the SCAMP (Special Computer APL Machine Portable)
that was developed at the IBM Palo Alto Scientific Center in
1973.
1980
- Sinclair ZX80 (One of the first affordable home computers)
Clive Sinclair launched the ZX80 in the United Kingdom for
under one hundred pounds (£99.99). The computer came in
'kit form' and users had to assemble and solder it together.
With a cpu clock speed of 3.25 MHz and between 1KB and
16KB of RAM, there was plenty of power. The machine was
quite popular and more than 50,000 were sold.
1981
- Sinclair ZX81 (First widely available home computer)
The ZX81 was designed to be a low-cost entry level computer
for the general public and was successful, not only in the UK,
but also in the USA and sold over 1,500,000 units. Prices
ranged from £49.95 for DIY kits to £69.95 for pre-assembled
units. The machine had a clock speed of 3.25 MHz and
between 1Kb - 16KB of RAM. Programs/data were loaded
and saved onto tape cassettes.
1981
- The TI-99 (Pioneer of speech synthesis)
The Texas Instruments TI-99 was an early home computer and
featured a calculator style 'chiclet' keyboard. The TI-99 was
probably most famous for its 'speak and spell' function which
made use of, what was at the time, pioneering speech
synthesis capabilities. Programs/data were ran and saved onto
cassette tapes or a 5.25" floppy drive.
1981 - Commodore VIC-20 (First computer to sell 1 million
units)

The VIC-20 was an 8-bit computer that became the first
machine to sell 1 million units. The machine had a 1.02 MHz
cpu and up to 40KB of RAM. Selling for the relatively low-
cost of $299, the VIC-20 was popular among the masses,
especially for educational purposes. Quite a few notable
software developers began their computing careers using the
VIC-20
1982 - Sinclair ZX Spectrum (First cheap microcomputer with
high resolution graphics)
The C64 took its name from its 64KB of RAM and hit the
market for a price of $595 in January of 1982. The C64 had
improved graphics and sound when compared to its
competitors which made it incredibly popular. Total sales of
the C64 are estimated to be around 17 million units which
makes it the best selling single computer of all time.
1983
- Oric-1 (First colour computer)

The Oric-1 was released in 1983. Based on a 1 MHz 6502A

CPU, it came in 16 KB or 48 KB RAM variants for £129 and
£169 respectively. The Oric was similar in design to the ZX
Spectrum but had improved keyboard, graphics and sound.
Around 160,000 units were sold in the UK during 1983.
The ZX Spectrum was a popular computer that was available 1984 - Macintosh (First successful computer to feature a
for under £200. The ZX Spectrum ran a 3.5 MHz cpu and mouse and graphical interface)
either 16KB or 48KB of RAM. Even with it's really awful
'beeper' sound, the spectrum was a huge success and spawned
a huge market for software, add-ons and over 15,000 games.
The spectrum is, perhaps, best remembered for it's distinctive
rubber keys. More info
1982 - Acorn BBC Micro (One of the first computers designed
for education purposes)

Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh in January 1984. The

Mac was the first successful computer to use a mouse and
graphical user interface operating system. The computer was
promoted via the now famous Ridley Scott '1984' commercial
which aired during the Super Bowl XVIII final. It was also the
first computer that Jobs demonstrated via his now infamous
Designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC's Mac keynote speeches.
'Computer Literacy Project', the BBC Micro was known for its
expandability and high quality operating system. Focusing on
education, specs included a 2 MHz cpu, 16-128KB of RAM,
Floppy discs, 20MB storage and 8 color graphics. The BBC 1984 - Amstrad CPC (One of the first 'All in one' computers)
Micro was popular in British schools and sold 1,500,000 units.
More info
1982 - Commodore 64 (Best-selling single computer model of
all time)
The Amstrad CPC (short for Colour Personal Computer) is a
series of home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984
and 1990. The computers came with a Z80 based processor
and either 64KB or 128KB of RAM. Storage in the form of a
compact cassette deck or 3" floppy disk drive was integrated
into the keyboard. The CPC's required their own monitor
rather than a TV.
1985 - Atari ST (First home computer with built in MIDI)
The ST was primarily a competitor to the Apple Macintosh
and the Commodore Amiga systems. The machine gained a
foothold as a small business machine for CAD and Desktop
publishing work. The ST also had built in MIDI sound
capabilities which ensured success regarding music
application among both amateurs and professionals (e.g.
Madonna, Eurhythmics and Fatboy Slim)
1985 - Commodore Amiga 1000 (First multimedia home
computer)
The Amiga is a family of personal computers marketed by
Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model (Amiga
1000) was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and
became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking
abilities. The Amiga 1000 was hugely more powerful than the
8-bit computers and was recently voted as the 7th greatest PC
of all time.
1987 - Commodore Amiga 500 (Best-selling Commodore
Amiga computer)
The Amiga 500 (or A500) was Commodore's best-selling
Amiga model and was popular amongst both hobbyists and
gamers. The A500 was capable of advanced graphics and
sound compared to other computers of its era which
contributed to the computers popularity as a games machine.
1992 – IBM Thinkpad 300
ThinkPad is a line of business-oriented laptop computers and
tablets designed, developed, and sold by Lenovo, and formerly
IBM. ThinkPads are known for their minimalist, black, and
boxy design which was initially modeled in 1990 by industrial
designer Richard Sapper, based on the concept of a traditional
Japanese Bento lunchbox revealing its nature only after being
opened.
1993 – Omnibook 300
The original Omnibook 300 came with an Intel 386SXLV
CPU and a nine-inch monochrome VGA display with 16
shades of gray. The rechargeable battery offered five hours of
use in the hard disc model and nine hours of use in the flash
memory model. It could be recharged in 1.5 hours. In a pinch,
the Omnibook 300 could also run on 4 AA batteries. It came
standard with 2 MB RAM, a 9-pin serial port and a parallel
printer port
1995 – Risc PC 700
A unique feature of the RISC PC was
its case. This came in the form of the
base holding the motherboard and
power supply, amid section for
mounting one 3.5" device, one 5.25"
device and two single width expansion
cards, and then a lid. The magic was
that you could add up to 8 slices at any
time, giving you a very easily
expandable computer, and all held
together with clips and springs
negating the need for a screwdriver.
Very neat.
1998 – iMac G3
The iMac G3, originally released as
the iMac, is a series of Macintosh
personal computers designed,
manufactured, and sold by Apple
Computer, Inc. from 1998 to 2003.
Noted for its innovative enclosure via
the use of translucent and brightly
colored plastics, it was the first
consumer-facing Apple product to
debut under the recently returned
interim CEO Steve Jobs.
Apple Inc came out in Market with
iPad, a tablet computer with multi-
touch screen with virtual keyboard.
1999 – iBook
iBook is a line of laptop computers
designed, manufactured, and sold by
Apple Computer, Inc. from 1999 to
2006. The line targeted entry-level,
consumer and education markets, with
lower specifications and prices than
the PowerBook, Apple's higher-end
line of laptop computers.
2006 – MacBook Pro
2011 – Chromebook
Google released the Chromebook, a
notebook that runs the Google Chrome
OS using Linux kernel and web
browser Google Chrome with an
integrated media-player
MacBook Pro, first Intel-based, dual-
core mobile computer, as well as an
Intel-based iMac introduced Apple
Inc. Nintendo released home video
game device ‘Wii’ in the market.
2015 – Apple Watch
In 2014, Tim Cook announced about
the Apple Watch and released in
market in 2015 by Apple Inc.
2007 – Netbook
Netbook is a generic name given to a
category of small, lightweight, legacy-
free, and inexpensive laptop
computers that were introduced in
2007. Netbooks compete in the same
market segment as mobiles and
Chromebooks (a variation on the
portable network computer).
2010 – iPad
Why there were computers during World War 1 and 2?
The purpose of having computers in World War 1 and in World War 2 are cracking
Enigma and the later German Codes. The early computers also helped to develop
excellent artillery aiming tables.

Why were calculators invented?

Calculators are invented to have not only greatly enhanced our ability to perform the
regular computations that are involved in everyday life, but provided humans with the
ability to understand mathematics on a greater scale than ever imagined. Calculations
which were previously cumbersome and time-consuming can now be done in minutes
or even seconds, all at the push of a few buttons.