Unveiling the Top 30 Groundbreaking Inventions in Computer Science

The word "computer" was first used in 1613 to describe a human who performed calculations or computations. The definition remained the same until the end of 19th century, when the tech industry gave rise to machines whose primary task was calculating.

There are lot of things that we don't know about the rapid progress of computer development, plus the contributions of many scientists. Hence, to fill you in with all necessary computer knowledge we have gathered a few notable inventions in computer science, from the first machine to microchip era.

1. First Computer: Difference Engine (1821)

The "Difference Engine" was a proposed mechanical computer to be used to output mathematical tables. Commissioned by the British government, Charles Babbage started working on it, but due to its high production cost, the funding was stopped and the machine was never completed.

2. General Purpose Computer: Analytical Engine (1834)

Charles Babbage conceived a more ambitious machine, the first general purpose programmable computing engine, later called Analytical Engine. It has many essential features found in the modern digital computer. The machine was programmable using punched cards, the engine had a "Store" where numbers and intermediate results could be held, and a separate "Mill" where the arithmetic operations were performed.

3. Analog Computer: Differential Analyzer(1930)

Vannevar Bush, MIT engineer developed the first modern analog computer. It was a analog calculator that could be used to solve some specific set of differential equation, a type of problem common in engineering and physics application, which are often very tedious to solve. The machine produced approximate, albeit practical. solutions.

4. Turing Machine (1936)

Alan Turing's theoretical model of computation, the Turing Machine, proved that any algorithm could be computed by a computer. This concept is fundamental to theoretical computer science and helped define the limits and possibilities of computation.

5. The First Computer Network (1940)

Between 1940 and 1946 George Stibitz and his team developed a series of machines with telephone technologies - employing electro-mechanical relays. These machines served more than one user. Soon they became obsolete because they were based on slow mechanical relays rather than electronic switches. Today, the dominant basis of data communication is Packet Switching: the ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) was an early packet switching network and the first network to implement the protocol suite TCP/IP (in 1982). Both became the technical foundation of the Internet.

6. Working Programmable Computer: Z3 (1941)

Konrad Zuse already had a working mechanical computer Z1 but it worked for only few minutes at a time. The use of a different technology - relays, led to Z2 and eventually Z3. Z3 was an electromagnetic computer for which program and data were stored on external punched tapes. It was a secret project of the German government and put to use by The German Aircraft Research Institute. The original machine was destroyed in the bombing of Berlin in 1943.

7. Electronic Computer: Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) (1942)

Created by John Vincent Atanasoff & Clifford Berry, the hence named Atanasoff-Berry Computer or ABC was used to find the solution for simultaneous linear equations. It was the very first computer that used binary to represent data and electronic switches instead of mechanical. The computer however was not programmable.

8. Programmable Electronic Computer: Colossus (1943)

The Colossus created by Tommy Flowers, was a machine created to help the British decrypt German messages that were encrypted by the Lorenz cipher, back in World War II. It was programmed by electronic switches and plugs. Colossus brought the time to decipher the encrypted messages down from weeks to mere hours.

9. General Purpose Programmable Electronic Computer: ENIAC (1946)

Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC) was Turing-complete, digital machine that could solve a wide range of numerical problems through reprogramming. It was primarily used to calculate artillery firing tables, and helped with computations for the feasibility of the thermonuclear weapon. By the end of its operation (1955), ENIAC contained 7200 crystal diodes, 17468 vacuum tubes, 10000 capacitors, 70,000 resistors and over 5 million hand-soldered joints. It was roughly 8 x 3 x 100 feet in size, weighted 30 tons, and consumed 150 kW of electricity. It used card readers for input and card punch for output. The computer had a speed on the order of one thousand times faster than that of elector-mechanical machines.

10. The Transistor (1947)

Before the transistor, computers relied on bulky and unreliable vacuum tubes. The invention of the transistor by Bell Labs researchers John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley revolutionized computing by offering a smaller, faster, and more efficient alternative. This paved the way for miniaturization and the development of more powerful computers.

11. First Assembler: Initial Orders for EDSAC (1949)

Assembler is a program that converts mnemonics (low-level) into numeric representation (machine code). The initial orders in EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator) was the first of such a system. It was used to assemble programs from paper tape input into the memory and running the input. The programs were in mnemonic codes instead of machine codes, making "initial code" the first ever assembler by processing a symbolic low level program code into machine code.

12. Artificial Intelligence (AI) (1950s - present)

AI, the ability of machines to mimic intelligent human behavior, has made significant strides in recent years. From self-driving cars and facial recognition to medical diagnosis and language translation, AI is transforming numerous industries.

13. Open Source Software: A-2 System (1953)

The A-0 system later evolved into A-2, released as ARITH-MATIC. It was developed at the UNIVAC division of Remington Rand and released to customers by the end of 1953. Users were provided the source code for A-2 and invited to send their enhancements back to UNIVAC.

14. Integrated Circuit (1958)

The integrated circuit, or microchip, was the brainchild of Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments. It miniaturized multiple transistors and other electronic components onto a single silicon chip, dramatically increasing computing power and reducing costs. This invention formed the foundation for modern computers, smartphones, and countless other electronic devices.

15. Operating System (1960s)

Early computers were complex beasts, requiring users to directly manage hardware and software. Operating systems like CP/M and later DOS and Windows provided a user-friendly interface, simplifying computer interaction and paving the way for mass adoption.

16. First Computer Mouse(1964)

The computer mouse as we know today is was invented by Douglas Engelbart with the assistance of Bill English, and was patented on 17th November, 1970. It was just a tiny piece of a much larger project, aimed at augmenting human intellect. Engelbart required the ability to interact with information display using some sort of machine to move a cursor on the screen. There were already different devices then in use, including light pen and joysticks. He was however looking for the most efficient device.

17. First Touchscreen(1965)

Touch Displays: A Programmed Man-Machine Interface, which was published in Ergonomics journal in 1967. The idea was adopted for use by air traffic controllers in the United Kingdom until the 1990s. Furthermore, the first resistive touchscreen was developed by George Samuel Hurst, who got US patent #3911215 in 1975.

18. First Object Oriented Programming Language: Simula (1967)

Based on C. A. R. Hoare's concept of class constructs, Ole-Johan Dahl & Kristen Nygaard updated their "SIMULA I" programming language with objects, classes and subclasses. This resulted in the creation of SIMULA 67 which became the first object-oriented programming language.

19. Personal Computer (1970s)

The personal computer, or PC, brought computing power to the individual user. Early models like the Altair 8800 and Apple II paved the way for more affordable and user-friendly machines like the IBM PC, which became the standard for home and business computing. The PC revolutionized productivity, communication, and entertainment, and laid the foundation for the digital age.

20. The Relational Database (1970s)

The relational database, developed by Edgar F. Codd at IBM, revolutionized data storage and management. It organizes data into tables with relationships between them, making it easier to query and analyze large amounts of information. Relational databases are the backbone of modern information systems, powering everything from online banking and customer relationship management to scientific research and data analytics.

21. First Microprocessor: Intel 4004 (1971)

The chip design was started in April 1970, and it was completed under the leadership of Federico Faggin in January 1971. Smaller than a human thumbnail, the 4-bit register with a clock speed of 740 kHz, had 2300 transistors with 10-micron spacing, capable of performing 60,000 operations per seconds, and costs $200, while having as much computing power as the ENIAC computer. Busicom calculator 141-PF was the first commercial product to use a microprocessor.

22. Email (1971)

Before email, communication relied on physical letters or phone calls. Ray Tomlinson's invention of email revolutionized communication, enabling instant, asynchronous messaging across the globe. Email remains a cornerstone of personal and professional communication to this day.

23. Programming Language C (1972)

Developed by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs, C emerged as a powerful and versatile programming language. Its influence and direct descendants like C++ shaped countless software applications and operating systems, including UNIX and Linux.

24. Graphical User Interface (GUI) (1981)

The graphical user interface, pioneered by Xerox PARC and popularized by Apple with the Macintosh, replaced the text-based command line interface with icons, windows, and menus. This made computers more intuitive and accessible for a wider audience, accelerating the adoption of technology in everyday life.

25. World Wide Web (1989)

In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee at CERN invented the World Wide Web, a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessible through the internet. This invention fundamentally changed how we access information, revolutionizing communication, commerce, and entertainment.

26. Search Engine (1990s)

The rise of search engines like Google made the vast ocean of information online readily accessible. By organizing and ranking web pages based on relevance, search engines transformed how we find information and navigate the digital world.

27. Mobile Computing (1990s-present)

The rise of mobile phones with internet access and powerful processors has brought computing power directly into our pockets. From smartphones and tablets to wearables and connected devices, mobile computing has reshaped communication, entertainment, and various aspects of our daily lives.

28. Cloud Computing (2000s-present)

Storing data and running applications on remote servers instead of personal devices, cloud computing offers flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. Today, cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure power countless businesses and services.

29. Social Media (2000s)

Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have transformed how we connect and share information. Social media has created new communities, sparked social movements, and changed the way we consume news and interact with each other.

30. Bitcoin Cryptocurrency (2009)

In 2009, Bitcoin emerged as the first decentralized cryptocurrency, introducing a new form of digital payment and financial system built on blockchain technology.