Tech History

Feeling nostalgic about your first tech gadget or toy? Want to learn about tech's visionaries and trailblazers? If so, you've come to the right spot.

Inventions
Photos: 20 most important tech inventions of the past 100 years
TechRepublic - Brandon Vigliarolo
A century moves fast Picture life in 1918: World War I was in its closing months, a Ford Model T cost $500, and home radio units were just coming …
50 years of business computing: 1988-2028
TechRepublic - Evan Koblentz
A magical look back at IT news in 1988, 1998, 2008, and 2018, as well as ahead to 2028. Another year in computing is drawing to a close, and with it …
Wikimedia
Photos: The 20 most influential programmers of all time
TechRepublic - Macy Bayern
1. Alan Turing Computer programs are constantly evolving. Here are 20 of the most influential figures that have shaped the computer programming …
U.S. Army
Photos: The women who created the technology industry
TechRepublic - Lyndsey Gilpin
The original computer scientists Image: U.S. Army Ada Lovelace, first computer programmer Image: Science and Society Picture Library (Wikimedia …
Photos: Atari, homebrews, robots, and more at Vintage Computer Festival East XIII
TechRepublic - Evan Koblentz
Altair, Apple, Atari, Commodore, SGI, Tandy, and more at Vintage Computer Festival East XIII Vintage Computer Festival East XIII, held May 18-20, 2018 …
Photos: Frogs, Enigma machines, Tandy, and more at Vintage Computer Festival East XII
TechRepublic - Evan Koblentz
Vintage Computer Festival East XII Vintage Computer Festival East XII, held March 31-April 2, 2017 in Wall, NJ, featured 40 hands-on exhibitions of …
Photos: Tandy, Symbolics, Atari, Sun, and more at Vintage Computer Festival Pacific-Northwest
TechRepublic - Evan Koblentz
Vintage Computer Festival Pacific-Northwest took place February 10-11, 2018 at Living Computers: Museum+Labs and featured 20 hands-on exhibits, along …
Dinosaur Sightings: Computers from the 1970s - Page 28
TechRepublic - Bill Detwiler
MSAI 8080 Built by IMS Associates, Inc. of San Leandro, California, the IMSAI 8080 is one of the first consumer computers available. Reprinted with …
Dinosaur Sightings: Computers from 1980-1983
TechRepublic - Bill Detwiler
Hewlett-Packard Model 85 Similar in appearance to the IBM 5100 from five years earlier in 1975, the Hewlett-Packard HP-85 is an all-in-one portable …
Dinosaur Sightings: Computers from 1984-1989
TechRepublic - Bill Detwiler
Computers from 1984-1989 Commodore SX-64 "Executive" Apple Macintosh Sinclair QL (Quantum Leap) IBM PCjr Apple IIc Atari 520ST Franklin ACE 2100 Kaypro 2000 …
Dinosaur Sighting: Microsoft Windows 3.1 Resource Kit Utilities
TechRepublic - Greg Shultz
When Microsoft released Windows 3.1 in 1992, the included manual was quite slim. In order to get all the technical details you had to purchase the …
Gallery: The amazing women behind Hidden Figures who made the US space program possible
TechRepublic - Brandon Vigliarolo
From life to a book to the screen The movie Hidden Figures, due for limited theatrical release on Christmas Day this year with wider release January …
Dinosaur Sightings: Norton Utilities 3.0 for Windows 95
TechRepublic - Greg Shultz
In November of 1997, Symantec released the Norton Utilities 3.0 for Windows 95 and it was the definitely the top of the line in Symantec’s procession …
Dinosaur Sighting: The Norton Utilities 8.0 for Windows/DOS
TechRepublic - Greg Shultz
As you may remember, in 1990, Peter Norton sold his company and its award winning DOS-based products to Symantec. In 1994, after a couple of years of …
Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers
TechRepublic - Greg Shultz
Back in the early DOS days you actually performed all of your file management operations by typing cryptic commands on a prompt line. Fortunately, it …
Dinosaur Sighting: Microsoft FrontPage for Windows 95
TechRepublic - Greg Shultz
In October of 1995, just a few short months after Microsoft launched Windows 95, a company called Vermeer Technologies launched what it called a …
Dinosaur Sighting: The Norton Utilities - Advanced Edition - Version 4.5
TechRepublic - Greg Shultz
Back in 1989, Peter Norton Computing released Norton Utilities Advanced Edition Version 4.5, which crammed a whole host of disk saving features in …
Energy Star
Dinosaur Sighting: Take a look back at After Dark 3.0
TechRepublic - Greg Shultz
Back in April of last year, I took you on a trip down memory lane in the gallery titled Flying Toasters - A look back at After Dark for Windows 1.0. …
IBM
Dinosaur Sightings: IBM 5251, 4000 Series VAX, Timex Sinclair and more - Page 3
TechRepublic - Bill Detwiler
IBM 3850 Mass Storage Device (1 of 2) Submitted by Patrick Sneed IBM 3850 Mass Storage Device (2 of 2) Submitted by Patrick Sneed Digital Equipment …
Atari
Dinosaur Sightings: Atari ST
TechRepublic - Bill Detwiler
Atari 1040STE Atari 1040STE - Top Atari 1040STE - Bottom Atari 1040STE - Logo Atari 520STFM - Logo Atari ST Help and Undo keys Atari ST keyboard Atari ST …
Asteroids
Dinosaur Sightings: Microsoft Arcade for Windows 3.1
TechRepublic - Greg Shultz
The Box Installation The Arcade Program Group Asteroids - Quick Help Asteroids - Player Controls Asteroids - Customize Game Asteroids – Select …
Flight Simulators
Microsoft Flight Simulator was one of the first "killer" game applications for what was then the nascent personal computer
TechRepublic - Mark Kaelin
In the early to mid-1980s, a significant thing happened for gaming geeks like me — the era of computer gaming began. With the console market tanking, …
Personal Computers
The Apple Mac Classic is one of the most famous and easily recognizable personal computers ever manufactured.
TechRepublic - Mark Kaelin
The Apple Mac Classic is one of the most famous and easily recognizable personal computers ever manufactured. First introduced in 1990, the Mac …
Dinosaur sightings: The Osborne 1 and the TRS-80 huggable luggables
TechRepublic - Mark Kaelin
Two dinosaurs on the prowl Weight is relative Not everything lasts Top to bottom Keyboard Familiar ports A battery -- that's innovation Big floppy No …
Dinosaur sightings: The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer (CoCo)
TechRepublic - Mark Kaelin
The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer 2 That's right Radio Shack Cartridges A bevy of ports A closer look at the ports Plugs were big back in the …
Dinosaur sightings: The Commodore 64
TechRepublic - Mark Kaelin
So many good memories Found it on eBay It does it all Are we there yet? Specs Now that's a keyboard Famous logo Function keys Control …
The Arts
Dinosaur Sightings: Lotus Symphony 3.0
TechRepublic - Greg Shultz
By Greg Shultz Lotus Symphony 3.0 for DOS
Dinosaur Sightings: SPARCstation Collection
TechRepublic - Bill Detwiler
SPARCstation 1 Submitted by John Dunn SPARCstation 1+ Submitted by John Dunn SPARCstation 2 Submitted by John Dunn SPARCstation Classic Submitted by John …
Business Technology
Dinosaur sightings - old-school computer hardware
TechRepublic - Bill Detwiler
Bill Detwiler's Tandy 1000 Bill Detwiler, Section Editor, TechRepublic Mac 512Ke that sits on Stephen Howard-Sarin's desk at CNET P.S. There's …