Computer History

I stumbled upon the timeline of computer history link in the syllabus and clicked on it because computers have always fascinated me. I was really surprised by the timelines level of detail. I was also very surprised at the original start date of computing. I had always assumed it started some time in the 60's, but computing tech can be traced back to the 1930's. 

The timeline does an excellent detailing the actual path that computers took to get where they are today. I myself thought that computers were just an overnight thing. That is not the case it took almost 60 years of hard work and dedication to get computers to a form that we recognize today. The benefactors of the early computer industry were not companies looking to provide personal computers. Instead a majority of the funding and purchasing came from the defense industry and the government. Early "mainframe" computers were used by the government to tackle the day's complex problems like rocket guidance and space missions. It wasn't until the late 60's and early 70's that computers started to get small. It was in this time that the first electronic reservations systems were designed and built. The laser printer something we all take for granted today wasn't introduced until 1974 and is what would make Xerox famous in the years to come. Many people today don't appreciate or understand the journey that our computers took to get where they are today. So I would like to take the time to thank those that have put their time and effort into getting computers where they are today. I also highly recommend visiting the sight and getting a look for yourself. http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/computers/