Articles by Computer History Museum

“How can you not be romantic about baseball?” Brad Pitt, playing longtime Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, asks that at the end of Moneyball—and I have a mentor who likes to remind me of it. In fact, most any problem I have, moments of self doubt, questions about strategy …

Software Gems: The Computer History Museum Historical Source Code Series Electronic mail is one of “killer apps” of networked computing. The ability to quickly send and receive messages without having to be online at the same time created a new form of human communication. By now billions of people have …

For the invention of the first commercial erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), which enabled rapid development of microprocessor-based systems.Fellow Awards Selection Committee, Computer History Museum In the early 1970s, Dov Frohman-Bentchkowsky, a young Intel electrical engineer, developed the concept for a new device, one that would allow changes to be …

Just weeks before the start of the Second World War, two young Austrian Jewish girls were put on a train and sent to England for safety.  They were part of a much larger effort — known as the Kindertransport — which ultimately saved thousands of children from certain death in …

For the creation and evolution of the Python programming language and for leadership of its community.Fellow Awards Selection Committee, Computer History Museum First released by its creator Guido van Rossum in 1991, the Python programming language lies behind an enormous variety of software applications today. Python has undergone continual improvement …

Scientists and engineers achieved the alchemist’s goal of turning low-value material, in this case sand (silicon), into gold with the invention of the MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistor. According to historian David C. Brock, their creation also produced the most frequently manufactured human artifact in history.1 MOS transistors are microscopic …

QuickTime, the pioneering mass-market digital video format for personal computers, was developed by Apple and released in 1991 on the Macintosh. As part of the MPEG-4 video standard, QuickTime technology can be found in every device today that plays digital video, from cell phones to 4K streaming TVs. On February …

The worldwide impact of the personal computing revolution is no secret. Its breakthroughs are now clutched tightly in the palms of our hands and integrated throughout industries across the globe. Embedded in each of these devices is the spirit of an entire generation. For over four decades, the Computer History …

On March 13, 2018, the world lost one of the greatest theoretical physicists who ever lived. Stephen Hawking had a profound effect on our understanding of how the universe works and the rare talent to bring these theories to the masses. Without Hawking, it’s doubtful that so many would be …

“We live in really extraordinary times. We’re witnessing an explosion in the diversity and the accessibility of these amazing computers that we carry in our pockets and have on our desks,” said Lisa Krieger of the San Jose Mercury News during “Our Brain’s Development in a Technological World.” The CHM …