Computer History Museum
@ComputerHistory
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We are saddened by the passing of
@intel
cofounder Gordon Moore earlier today. Moore was a longtime supporter and friend of CHM, personally and through the
@MooreFound
.
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25 years ago today,
@tombraider
debuted its heroine, Lara Croft. An icon of 90's gaming, the archaeologist-adventurer may be the most recognizable female character in video games.
#TR25
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406
Just Released to the Public! CP/M Operating System Source Code. Available for download here
http://t.co/9BAgz22CxV
http://t.co/0c8YVzsPSX
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Today we also bid farewell to computing visionary Larry Tesler. Tesler created the idea of “cut, copy, & paste” and combined computer science training with a counterculture vision that computers should be for everyone. Watch Tesler’s CHM demo
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Did you know that
#CSEdWeek
is celebrated each year during the week of Grace Hopper’s birthday? Today would be her 115th birthday! Hopper developed the first compiler, A-0, and the programming language COBOL.
@CSEdWeek
@AnitaB_org
Learn more:
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The Xerox PARC archive is now open for you to explore! With nearly 150,000 unique files, the archive covers an astonishing landscape: programming languages; graphics; printing and typography; and much more. Find all this and more on our site:
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Today marks the 50th
#anniversary
of
#Doug
#Engelbart
’s
#MotherOfAllDemos
.” We’re celebrating with newly released interviews by John Markoff and a number of events exploring the ongoing impact and lessons learned from Engelbart’s historic demo:
2
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CHM has recovered source code, executables, and documentation files of all kinds from Xerox PARC’s shared server backup tapes and worked to make this enormous archive accessible to the public for the first time. Sign up for updates:
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CHM is saddened to announce the passing of cofounder Gordon Bell on May 17, 2024. A pioneering engineer & computer scientist, Bell influenced computing from handhelds to supercomputers. He co-founded The Computer Museum, now the Computer History Museum and will be deeply missed.
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Today marks the 25th anniversary of the first text message, "Merry Christmas," sent by Vodafone’s Neil Papworth in 1992. Learn more in our exhibition, "Make Software: Change the World!"
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Gary Starkweather, inventor of the laser printer, passed away on Dec 26, 2019. His prototype laser printer, built at Xerox PARC—the Dover—is on permanent display at CHM. Learn more about Starkweather and his contributions:
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As a computer scientist and activist,
@rajiinio
has worked closely with
@AJLUnited
on several award-winning projects to highlight cases of bias in facial recognition. We’re excited to have Raji at our
#CHMLive
#IsAIRacist
event on 4/20.
0
24
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After finding out her salary was less than half that of the men she was training, Ann Hardy left IBM in 1966 and took a job at a new company called Tymshare, eventually becoming the first woman vice president. Learn about
#WomenInTech
1
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Tell us your first computer without telling us your first computer.
314
17
89
Forty-five years ago, on April 1, 1976,
@stevewoz
, Steve Jobs, and
@ronaldgwayne
signed an agreement to form
@Apple
Computer, Inc. Wozniak is a longtime CHM member and supporter… he even signed our Apple-1 computer, now on permanent exhibit at the Museum.
#Woz
#Apple
3
20
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Happy 204th birthday to the world’s original programmer
#AdaLovelace
. Born 12/10/1815, Lovelace mused that one day the
#computer
might be programmed “to compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent.” Today, Lovelace’s vision is a reality.
1
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“No person should be forced to leave their hometown to get a new economy job.” Congressman
@RoKhanna
's 21st Century Jobs Act aims to set up tech hubs in every state. We’re excited to have Khanna at our
#Election2020
#CHMLive
virtual event tomorrow.
2
21
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The Xerox Alto transported computing into the future with its groundbreaking features and functions. Join us to celebrate the Alto’s 50th anniversary with
@erichorvitz
, Alan Kay, Butler Lampson,
@charlessimonyi
, John Shoch &
@ilyasut
.
#XeroxAlto
#CHMLive
3
29
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#MaytheFourth
be with you! Set in a Galaxy far, far away, Star Wars (1977) combined old-fashioned science fiction storytelling with cutting-edge special effects provided by
@ILMVFX
. Check out other bits of computer graphics history in our timeline:
2
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Announcing the public release and long-term preservation of the Eudora email client source code as part of our Center for Software History’s Historical Source Code Series. Learn about this history and download the code: .
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The Radio Shack collection is open! The collection contains documentation and software related to the TRS-80 microcomputer, one of the earliest, most successful personal computers. Thank you
@NHPRC
for providing the funds to process this collection!
#NHPRC
#trs80
#RadioShack
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Happy birthday to Donald Knuth, who was born
#OnThisDay
in 1938! Knuth is best known for having written the classic, multivolume series, The Art of Computer Programming. In 1976, he invented the typesetting language TeX.
#ComputerHistory
Learn more:
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In 1951, high school graduate Joe Thompson, 18, was trained as one of the first two computer operators for the Whirlwind, the prototype for the SAGE air defense system. Learn about his journey and how computers changed his whole life:
#BlackHistoryMonth
2
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Happy birthday,
#internet
! Today marks the 40th anniversary of the internet & to celebrate, our Internet History Program's Marc Weber has put together an amazing blog post, filled with the stories and people who invented the internet in a GMC van.
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Xerox PARC researchers developed technologies for the “office of the future,” yet took care to back up their work. CHM will make a large digital archive of this historic work publicly accessible. Get updates: (Photo courtesy of the PARC Library.)
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Records from decades of innovative work at Xerox PARC have been recovered and preserved in a massive file system archive. For the first time, we are making this archive accessible to the public. Sign up to get the latest updates:
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"If everything you try works, you aren't trying hard enough."
— Gordon Moore
Take a look at the original notebooks showing the struggles of Moore and his Fairchild coworkers to build a reliable integrated circuit.
0
20
72
Before the
#Apple
Macintosh,
#Microsoft
Windows,
#Python
,
#Java
, and Objective-C, there was
#Smalltalk
. Celebrate the 50th anniversary with Smalltalk pioneers Adele Goldberg & Dan Ingalls and moderator
@Markoff
Sep 1 at 7 pm. Register now:
#CHMLive
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Feb. 15 marks the 75th anniversary of the
#ENIAC
! Don't miss out on these great virtual events happening on Monday:
In the meantime, dive into the history behind the ENIAC in our virtual
#Revolution
exhibit:
#ENIACDay
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Discover the secrets of the Apple Lisa source code! Sign up for updates so you don’t miss out:
#AppleLisa
#ArtOfCode
2
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#OnThisDay
50 years ago, Seymour Cray formed Cray Research, Inc. His first computer, the 1976 Cray-1, became an icon of raw computing power – its unique circular shape part of both its speed and its ominous aesthetic mystique.
Learn more:
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.
@WSJ
’s
@JoannaStern
has spent the better part of two decades covering gadgets & apps, and helping people make better tech decisions. We’re excited to have Stern at our
#Build
#CHMLive
event in conversation with
@tfadell
on 5/11 at 7pm PT.
Register here:
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Researchers at Xerox PARC stored their project files on shared servers from the 1970s through the 1980s. CHM has recovered thousands of files and worked to make this archive accessible to the public for the first time. Sign up for updates:
0
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Today CHM is releasing 21 never-before-seen video recordings of a 1976 conference. Dozens of computing’s top engineers, scientists & software pioneers from around the world gathered to reflect on the first 25 years of their discipline. Watch the videos!
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We’re going to party like it’s 1984! 🎼🎉Saying “Hello, 2019!” CHM style.
#macintosh
#helloworld
#computerhistory
#newyear
5
22
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"If everything you try works, you aren't trying hard enough."
— Gordon Moore
Take a look at the original notebooks showing the struggles of Moore and his Fairchild coworkers to build a reliable integrated circuit.
0
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The Baby turns 75! On June 21, 1948, the experimental Manchester “Baby” ran a 17-instruction program using a “memory tube” devised by Freddy Williams and Tom Kilburn. It was the first computer to execute a program from memory. Learn more:
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CHM honors 2022 Fellow Dan Ingalls “for the creation and codevelopment of the Smalltalk language and programming environment.” Smalltalk-74 is pictured in the photo on a Xerox Alto computer (©PARC. CHM Object ID 500004657).
#CHMFellows
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On this Day in History: August 24, 1995, Microsoft Ships Windows 95. Thanks to possibly the largest product launch campaign in history, Windows 95's sales exceeded all predictions.
1
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#OnThisDay
in 1983: Apple Computer introduces Lisa to the world. Lisa was one of the earliest personal computers with a graphical user interface, inspired by earlier work at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. Cost was $10,000 or about $28,000 today.
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Today we live in a world of computing that the Xerox Alto created 50 years ago. Explore how the Alto came to be and its transformative influence on the hardware and software we use today in
@IEEESpectrum
:
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Job: Acquire
#Compuserve
archives.
Issue: Building storing them to be vacated in a few weeks and is 2500 miles away.
Mission: Impossible?
In
@ppaneuhaus
' blog/movie script, learn how CHM & collaborators raced against time for this important collection!
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13
58
Flashback to the '70s with this vintage advertisement filmed at Xerox PARC and get in the mood for the Alto’s 50th anniversary event on April 26.
#XeroxAlto
#CHMLive
0
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Stop by our CHM booth
@MakerFaire
#BayArea
today and tomorrow for a "hands-on look" at objects and vintage computers from our collection and partake in
#makerfaire
fun everyone can enjoy.
#MFBA19
#seemeatmfba19
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Congrats
@UHMMOxford
@ChicagoDistrib
for US release of
#AdaLovelace
: the Making of a Computer Scientist, which looks at the extraordinary life of Ada Lovelace and how she explored key mathematical principles that lie behind modern computing. Learn more
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The world’s first handheld scientific
#calculator
, the Hewlett Packard HP-35, went on sale 50 years ago today. More than 100,000 sold the first year at $395 each.
#HP
#Tech
Visit our online exhibit.
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16
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Apple’s 1984 MacPaint was one of earliest paint programs for a PC. Designer Susan Kare, creator of the original Mac icons, modeled the user interface after common artists’ tools like erasers and paintbrushes. Check it out in The Studio at CHM!
#CHMStudio
1
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51
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Apple Lisa, check out this rare Lisa prototype from CHM’s collection! Read more about Lisa and access the Lisa source code:
#AppleLisa
#ArtOfCode
1
7
52
Before Photoshop, digital art pioneer
@RealBertMonroy
used MacPaint and PixelPaint to create artworks. Learn more: .
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Computing legend Alan Kay describes the unique culture of Xerox PARC that fostered the equally legendary Alto computer.
#XeroxAlto
1
13
53
For 5 days in 1976, computing’s top engineers, scientists & software pioneers gathered to reflect on the first 25 years of their discipline. Today CHM is releasing 21 never-before-seen video recordings of the event. Watch them here!
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51
"I was transported to the dawn of the computer age in the distant past by touching this delicate, physical record of invention," said Senior Curator Dag Spicer upon opening the Museum's latest artifact donation, ENIAC and EDVAC schematic diagrams from 1949.
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From one Lisa to another...
@LisaBrennanJobs
wishes the Lisa Computer a happy 40th birthday! Learn more about the Lisa and check out the source code.
#AppleLisa
#ArtOfCode
0
11
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A recent focus of CHM’s curatorial and collecting efforts is Eastern European computing. Today we received two small Romanian computers from the late 1980s—the Electronica CIP-03 and the Ice-Felix HC-85—both clones of the Timex/Sinclair ZX Spectrum computer.
7
21
47
Tonight: John Hennessy &
@marissamayer
chat about the core elements of leadership to become a successful tech entrepreneur. Live on our FB page at 7 pm:
#CHMLive
#LeadingMatters
4
14
46
The Kitchen Computer graced the cover of the 1969 Neiman-Marcus Christmas catalog – complete with computer, cookbook, apron, & 2-week programming course. Cost: $10,600. Sales: 0.
This gift from
#Christmas
past is in our collection:
#GiftsOfChristmasPast
1
18
48
On 8/4-8/5 at CHM, have a blast (from the past) at
@vcfederation
’s Vintage Computer Festival West. Experience hands-on demos of historical systems from the ’60s-’90s and try out brands like Apple, Atari, Commodore, and Tandy/Radio Shack. Learn more: .
1
7
45
Before Mac or Windows, there was Alto. Join us on 11/10 to see live demos of the original GUI. Register: .
#CHMLive
2
27
45
It’s hard to remember a time without it. Forty years ago today, Microsoft introduced the Windows operating system. It was the Software Publisher’s Association product of the year for 1983. Photo by Mark Richards.
6
11
47
From 1950s to 1970s, women predominated in the manufacturing workforce in Silicon Valley. Patricia Anderson was one of those young women, working as a "crystal puller". Dive into Pat’s story as a crystal puller in
@dcbrock
's new blog:
#WomensHistoryMonth
1
17
46
Computer programmer Margaret Hamilton led the software team that put men on the moon. Born in 1936, math was her favorite subject. She says, “What I did not like was Home Ec, because girls were supposed to take it.” Learn more.
#WomenInTech
0
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On Jan 31, we're celebrating the 40th birthday of the Apple Lisa - the computer that changed the world but failed commercially. Reserve your spot at this free event:
#AppleLisa
#ArtOfCode
#CHMLive
1
7
44
You saw it here first! Today, CHM releases a new oral history of computer graphics trailblazer Ivan Sutherland to the public for the first time. Bonus: the source code for his groundbreaking Sketchpad computer graphics program.
#ArtOfCode
1
21
44
#ThisDayinHistory
, the video game Zero Wing was ported to the
@Sega
Mega Drive system. The game was released in Europe, but was relatively unknown in North America until years later when its poorly translated opening scene became a popular Internet meme. All your base...
0
14
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We are saddened to share news of the passing of Lynn Conway, a trailblazing transgender woman & pioneer in integrated circuit design whose work revolutionized microchip creation. Lynn will be missed, but her legacy of education & advocacy will continue to inspire us all.
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I always feel like somebody's watching me 👀
This 1940s Edison-type phonograph doll was an early portable music player! Aurora Tucker (CHM's Collections Manager) sewed a new outfit for her, which we're sure she feels cute in while she haunts our exhibit halls.
#Halloween
1
9
41
Not just your average day at CHM. . . . We enjoyed welcoming surprise guests
@tomhanks
and
@RitaWilson
to the Museum!
2
5
43
This Saturday 7/29 at noon, join CHM's SpaceWar! tournament. Anyone can sign up to compete on our PDP-1 and experience the early computer game that pushed the limits of technology in the 1960s. Plan your visit to CHM:
2
15
41
We are very sorry to learn that Jim Pelkey, venture capitalist turned pioneering historian of networking, has died at 77. The Pelkey Collection is part of CHM's collection, containing 85 oral histories with the main developers of the internet, Ethernet, and data communication.
1
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40
CHM has released never-before-seen video recordings of a 1976 conference of computing’s top engineers, scientists & software pioneers. These videos leave behind a record of why these early creators did what they did and why. Watch the videos!
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Today we salute Bert Sutherland, who passed away yesterday. Bert headed research labs at BBN, Xerox PARC & Sun. Like his brother Ivan, his career spanned the formative eras in computing research, across many domains. Watch this interview of them at CHM
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“I almost got beat down by a cop in Oakland for jaywalking, and I was at the pinnacle of my career… Now, would any of these things happen to Mark Zuckerberg? No,” says Black software entrepreneur Stephan Adams.
#BlackHistoryMonth
1
14
41
Tonight at 7 PM PT: We explore the latest breakthroughs in quantum computing research with
@MSFTQuantum
's
@MatthiasTroyer
@IBMResearch
’s Pat Gumann, and
@googleresearch
’s John Martinis. Join the conversation by watching the Facebook live stream:
#CHMLive
4
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The Alto computer quickly became “an object of desire” when it was completed in 1973, says Butler Lampson, one of its creators at Xerox PARC.
#XeroxAlto
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Tonight at 7 pm: hear from legendary engineers, game developers and music composers as we explore the history of Commodore. Attend the U.S. premiere of The Commodore Story:
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We're dressing up for
#Halloween
! Here, George Roth models the 'Mighty Micro' character that appeared at trade shows to promote Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)'s microcomputers.
#microcomputer
#technology
#computer
4
12
38
Since CHM is closed, the archivists let the robots run around and see all the exhibits. 🤖
A Night At The Museum! Our security cameras have picked up what appears to be video of some of our robots wandering the galleries in search of friends. Here is the 1972
@SRI_Intl
Shakey robot in front of a 1951 Univac-1 console. "Do you want to play a game?”
@ComputerHistory
0
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American Engineer and Inventor Bill English passed away Sunday. With Douglas Engelbart, he invented the computer mouse. We remember Bill and his contributions with this interview by
@markoff
and Bill Duvall.
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#FeaturedArtifact
Display install disk, ca. 1987 was the name of the image-editing program before it was renamed it
#photoshop
in 1988.
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Without the Lisa there would be no Mac. Check out the source code. Released with permission from Apple today for the first time.
#AppleLisa
#ArtOfCode
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Records of minicomputer giant Digital Equipment Corporation now open for research at CHM! Discover the history: .
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Registration is open for our first 2021
#CHMFellows
event, honoring collaborative software pioneer & entrepreneur
@rozzie
. We’ll be celebrating Ozzie w/tributes from
@BillGates
&
@mcuban
, a panel feat.
@edyson
&
@zephoria
, and award presenter
@mkapor
5
6
36
This day in history: Apple Announces OS 8, a new operating system for is Macintosh Computers.
http://t.co/a2Znvz1yDt
http://t.co/9QiyZSJYX8
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49 years ago today, Bill Gates and Paul Allen established Microsoft. From humble beginnings to global innovation, we’ve got a story showcasing the roots of a revolution. Continue watching at:
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Gordon Moore was a PhD chemist, semiconductor manufacturing technologist, self-described “accidental entrepreneur,” R&D leader, corporate executive, venture investor & philanthropist. Read about Moore’s extraordinary life in CHM’s tribute to Gordon Moore.
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GUIs, WIMPs, mice, and more! See the source code for Apple’s innovative Lisa computer.
#AppleLisa
#ArtOfCode
1
5
37
Today is the 6oth anniversary of Fairchild Semiconductor—the first trillion-dollar startup. Celebrate Fairchild
@60
:
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Explore the roots of modern computer interfaces in a vintage Apple Lisa with
@verge
’s Adi Robinson.
#AppleLisa
#Apple
2
9
35
Sixty-seven years to the day after the television debut of Whirlwind’s “Jingle Bells,” we offer you this restoration of the program from the original punched paper tape at CHM. Learn more and listen to the restored rendition of “Jingle Bells”:
3
18
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80 years ago today Gary Kildall was born. His company Digital Research produced the first high-level programming language for microprocessors. See our blog post “In His Own Words: Gary Kildall.”
#Tech
#History
#Anniversary
#Programming
#TDIH
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40 years ago today Disney’s Tron is released. One of the first movies to use computer-generated graphics, it followed the adventures of a hacker transported inside a computer. Visit our Timeline of Computer History to see other 1982 milestones.
#Tech
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A decade before the
#iPhone
, a team of renegades tried to build the modern smartphone. Join us for a screening of
@verge
’s film
#Springboard
and a panel discussion featuring
@backlon
,
@ddubinsky
and Ed Colligan on 5/6 at 7pm.
#CHMLive
1
9
34
Our amazing volunteers have recovered 50+ year-old code from CHM’s Apollo Guidance Computer—an engineering test version of the
#computer
#astronauts
used to land on the
#Moon
on July 20, 1969. See the team in action: .
#apollo11
#moonlanding
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