This article presents a detailed

timeline A timeline is a list of events displayed in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representing t ...

of events in the history of computing software and hardware: from prehistory until 1949. For narratives explaining the overall developments, see

History of computing The history of computing is longer than the history of computing hardware and modern computing technology and includes the history of methods intended for pen and paper or for chalk and slate, with or without the aid of tables. Concrete devices ...

Pre-computing

The analog computer

Antiquity

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
–1640

1641–1820

Invention of the mechanical computer

1822-1851

1851–1930

1931–1940

Invention of the programmable computer

1941–1949

Computing timeline

* Timeline of computing ** 1950–1979 ** 1980–1989 ** 1990–1999 ** 2000–2009 ** 2010–2019 ** 2020–present *

History of computing hardware The history of computing hardware spans the developments from early devices used for simple calculations to today's complex computers, encompassing advancements in both analog and digital technology. The first aids to computation were purely mec ...

References

Sources

* * * * * * *

External links

''A Brief History of Computing,''
by Stephen White. An excellent computer history site; the present article is a modified version of his timeline, used with permission.
''The Evolution of the Modern Computer (1934 to 1950): An Open Source Graphical History''
article from Virtual Travelog

by

Jürgen Schmidhuber Jürgen Schmidhuber (born 17 January 1963) is a German computer scientist noted for his work in the field of artificial intelligence, specifically artificial neural networks. He is a scientific director of the Dalle Molle Institute for Artifici ...

, from "The New AI: General & Sound & Relevant for Physics, In B. Goertzel and C. Pennachin, eds.: Artificial General Intelligence, pp. 175–198, 2006."
''Computing History Timeline, ''
a photographic gallery on computing history
Computer History
by Computer Hope
Timeline of Computer History
by

Computer History Museum The Computer History Museum (CHM) is a computer museum in Mountain View, California. The museum presents stories and artifacts of Silicon Valley and the Information Age, and explores the Digital Revolution, computing revolution and its impact ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline Of Computing Hardware 2400 Bc-1949

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

History of computing hardware