From 3000 BC to 1890 AD

• 3000 BC: Dust abacus is invented, probably in Babylonia.
• 1800 BC: Babylonian mathematician develops algorithms to resolve numerical problems.
• 1000 BC: Phoenicians encode language into symbols - the phonetic alphabet is developed.
  Piles of stones are used to Represent 'counting’ of objects-an abstract concept.
  'Abaci' tables are developed using positional notation.
  Paper is invented.
• 500 BC: Bead and wire abacus is created.
  'Abacus' first personal calculator -introduces the idea of letting one object equate to several others –Babylonia.
• 200 AD: Saun-pan computing tray is used in China; soroban computing tray used in Japan.
• 700-800. - Arabic numerals spread through Europe introduces concept of the ‘zero’ & ‘fixed places’ (Roman numerals remain in some places until 17 century)
• 1000: Gerbert of Aurillac or Pope Sylvester II devises a more efficient abacus.
• 1100 - Mukhammed ibn Musa Al'Khowarizmi develops concept of following a written process to achieve a goal - the 'algorithm' is born
• 1400 - Korea begins using mobile characters for printing
• 1457 Gutenberg Printing Press is invented.
• 1612: John Naiper, Baron of Merchiston, Scotland - first printed use of the ‘decimal point’ and develops the ‘bones’ system of multiplication. 1614 - defines log tables.
• 1622: William Oughtred develops the slide rule in England.
• 1623: William Schickard, prof. Tubingen, Germany - builds first ‘adding machine’ based on Naiper's studies
• 1624: Wilhelm Schickard builds first four-function calculator-clock at the University of Heidelberg.
• 1642: Blaise Pascal builds the first numerical calculating machine in Paris.
• 1673: Gottfried Leibniz builds a mechanical calculating machine that multiplies, divides, adds and subtracts. It is a stepped cylindrical gear to do multiplication by successive additions to an accumulator.
• 1780: American Benjamin Franklin discovers electricity.
• 1801: Joseph-Marie Jacquard invents perforated card for use on his loom. People riot against machine technology.
• 1822: In England Charles Babbage designs a Difference Engine to calculate logarithms for navigation tables, but the machine is never built.
• 1833: Charles Babbage designs the Analytical Machine that follows instructions from punched-cards. It is the first general purpose computer.
• 1842: Lady Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace and daughter of Lord Byron, the poet, documents Babbage's work and writes programs for Babbage.
• 1844 - Samuel Morse sends message from Washington to Baltimore - 36 miles - by wire. "What hath God wrought?"
• 1854: Irishman George Boole publishes The Mathematical Analysis of Logic using the binary system now known as Boolean algebra.
• 1855: George and Edvard Scheutz of Stockholm build the first practical mechanical computer based on Babbages work.
• 1876: Telephone is invented by Alexander Graham Bell.
• 1884: Herman Hollerith applies for patents for automatic punch-card tabulating machine.
• 1884: Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) is founded.
• 1886: William Burroughs develops the first commercially successful mechanical adding machine.
• 1889: Patent is issued for Hollerith tabulating machine.
• 1890 - Herman Hollerith - in response to U S Census Bureau submits (and wins) the bid for automating census compilation using punched card techniques.