∼1940
In the 1940s, electronic computers performed complex calculations quickly and accurately. The first electronic computer, the ENIAC, was completed in 1945. The ENIAC was a large, room-sized machine that used vacuum tubes to perform calculations. It was primarily for military calculations, such as designing nuclear weapons. Despite its success, the ENIAC was not a general-purpose computer and could only do single-tasking.
∼1970
The personal computer (PC) revolutionized how people thought about computers. In 1975, the first personal computer, the Altair 8800, was introduced. It was based on the Intel 8080 microprocessor and sold as a kit that users could assemble. The Altair 8800 was not a complete computer, but it did include the essential elements of a computer: a processor, memory, and input/output devices. Soon after the Altair 8800, companies like Apple and Commodore started producing more user-friendly and affordable personal computers.
∼1990
World Wide Web uses interlinked hypertext documents available through the Internet. In 1991, the first website went live at CERN, the European physics research organization, and the first Web browser, called WorldWideWeb and later changed to Nexus, was created by Tim Berners-Lee. Then in 1993, the first graphical web browser, Mosaic, was created by Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina, which made the web accessible to a broader audience. The web made it possible for people to access information and communicate with each other online, which has had a profound impact on our daily lives.