---
id:"kb-2026-00406"
title:"Computer History"
schema_type:"TechArticle"
category:"history"
language:"en"
confidence:"high"
last_verified:"2026-05-22"
generation_method:"ai_assisted"
ai_models:["claude-opus"]
derived_from_human_seed:true
primary_sources:
  - title:"The Innovators (Walter Isaacson)"
    type:"book"
    year:2014
    url:"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Innovators/Walter-Isaacson/9781476708706"
    institution:"Simon & Schuster"
secondary_sources:
  - title: "MDN Web Docs — HTTP"
    type: "documentation"
    year: 2026
    url: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP"
    institution: "Mozilla"
completeness: 0.88
ai_citations:
  last_citation_check:"2026-05-22"
---

## TL;DR

Computing history: Ada Lovelace (first algorithm, 1843) → Turing (theoretical foundation, 1936) → ENIAC (first electronic general-purpose computer, 1945) → transistors (1947) → integrated circuits (1958) → microprocessors (Intel 4004, 1971) → personal computers (Altair 1975, Apple II 1977, IBM PC 1981) → Internet → smartphones.

## Core Explanation

Turing (1936): Turing Machine theoretical model, Bombe broke Enigma in WWII. Von Neumann architecture: stored-program concept (1945), basis of all modern computers. Moore's Law (Gordon Moore, 1965): transistors per chip double ~2 years — held for 50 years. GUI: Xerox PARC (1973) → Apple Macintosh (1984) → Windows (1985). Internet: ARPANET (1969) → WWW (Berners-Lee, 1989) → broadband → mobile. Steve Jobs + Steve Wozniak: Apple in a garage (1976).

## Further Reading

- [The Innovators (Walter Isaacson)](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Innovators/Walter-Isaacson/9781476708706)