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The History of the Information Technology

Prehistory - computing & storage

• Approx. 3000 BC: First writing systems (e.g. cuneiform) - information becomes permanently storable.
• Abacus (from approx. 2400 BC) - mechanical aid to calculation.
• Antikythera mechanism (ca. 100 BC): Ancient “computer” for calculating celestial movements.

17th-19th century - computing with machines

• 1642: Blaise Pascal invents the first mechanical calculating machine.
• 1694: Leibniz's staggered roller machine can already perform the four basic arithmetic operations.
• 1801: Joseph Jacquard uses punched cards to control looms - forerunner of programming.
• 1837: Charles Babbage designs the “Analytical Engine” - the first theoretical computer.
• Ada Lovelace: First female programmer in history.

Early 20th century - electronics replace mechanics

• 1930s-40s: First electromechanical computers (e.g. Zuse Z3, 1941).
• 1946: The ENIAC, the first fully electronic universal computer, is created in the USA.
• 1950s: First commercial computers (e.g. UNIVAC, IBM 701) - huge, expensive, but groundbreaking.

1950s-1970s: The foundations of modern IT

• Transistor (1947) - microchip (1958): Computers become smaller, faster, cheaper.
• Programming languages such as Fortran, COBOL, C emerge.
• 1969: Launch of ARPANET - forerunner of the internet.
• Mainframes dominate IT in companies and public authorities.
• The first operating systems and databases are developed.

1970s-80s: The computer for everyone

• 1975: Founding of Microsoft.
• 1976: Apple is founded and the first Apple computer is released.
• 1981: IBM PC comes onto the market - beginning of the PC age.
• Graphical user interfaces (GUI) and mouse make computers easier to use.
• 1980s: First home computers (C64, Atari), floppy disks, printers, simple games.

1990s: The Internet conquers the world

• World Wide Web (1991): Tim Berners-Lee develops hypertext & URLs.
• E-mail, search engines, first websites revolutionize communication.
• Rise of Windows 95, Netscape, later Google (1998).
• Start of e-commerce, online banking and everyday digital life.

2000s: Mobile & global

• Smartphones & laptops replace desktop PCs in many areas.
• Cloud computing begins: data and programs online instead of locally.
• Social networks (Facebook 2004, YouTube 2005, Twitter 2006).
• Open source movement grows (Linux, Firefox, GitHub).

2010s-today: AI, big data, automation

• Artificial intelligence (e.g. voice assistants, facial recognition, ChatGPT).
• Big data and machine learning enable new insights from huge amounts of data.
• Blockchain & cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin 2009 → crypto-economy).
• IoT (Internet of Things): Networked devices in everyday life, industry and medicine.
• Cybersecurity is becoming a key challenge.

Future of IT

• Quantum computers: revolutionizing computing power.
• AI-supported systems in education, medicine and business.
• Virtual & augmented reality (VR/AR) are changing communication and work.
• Ethics & regulation come into focus: data protection, AI control, digital responsibility.

Source (2025): ChatGPT - History of the Information Technology