A Century of Computer History: From ENIAC to the PC Era

The article introduces a free e‑book series titled "A Hundred‑Year Fun History of Computer Development," which presents a chronological narrative of major events in computing, from early concepts to the first digital machines, the transition from vacuum tubes to integrated circuits, the evolution of programming languages, and the rise of operating systems.

You may not know that the "founding mother" of programming was a woman.

The ENIAC patent was once stolen.

The New York Times listed September 18, 1957, as one of humanity’s ten most important dates.

Early Legends of Digital Computers

In the 18th century, the legend of digital computers began. British mathematician Charles Babbage designed the first analytical engine in 1834, capable of solving complex equations with up to 100 variables, but his project ultimately failed.

The First Stored‑Program Computer

John von Neumann and his team drafted the 101‑page EDVAC report, introducing the stored‑program concept that marked the start of the electronic computer era.

Semiconductors and Integrated Circuits

In December 1947, William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain at Bell Labs created the point‑contact germanium transistor, an invention later hailed as the most important of the 20th century and a catalyst for modern computing.

The Blue Giant: IBM

IBM entered the electronic era in 1946 with the 603 electronic multiplier and later released the IBM 701 and the mass‑produced IBM 650, the world’s first commercially available computer.

The Rise of Mainframes

In 1962, IBM launched the System/360 series, a unified architecture that became a landmark achievement comparable to the Model T and the Boeing 707. The project’s chief engineer, Fred Brooks, later authored "The Mythical Man‑Month."

Development of Minicomputers

1964 saw the introduction of the PDP‑7, the first computer to use flip‑chip technology and a predecessor of UNIX. The PDP‑8 (1965) and PDP‑11 (1970) further expanded the minicomputer market, with the latter becoming a benchmark for small‑scale computer design.

The PC Era

IBM’s 1975 portable computer (model 5100) and the 1981 IBM PC (model 5150) marked a shift toward open architecture and outsourced operating systems, accelerating personal computing adoption.

The Birth of Linux

Following the success of CTSS, Bell Labs joined a collaborative effort with GE and MIT to develop MULTICS, a multi‑user, multi‑processor, multi‑level operating system that laid groundwork for later systems like UNIX and Linux.