Start here · Essential guide
A Brief History of Computer Hardware
A short generational overview of computer hardware, from relays and vacuum tubes to transistors, integrated circuits and the microprocessor.
Computing past
How computing grew up, told plainly.
An independent, plain-language introduction to the history of computing, from early machines and software to networks and everyday life.
200 in-depth guides
27 topics
Oct 2026 latest guide
Featured guides
Guides to start with
Each one links on to more specific articles in its topic.
How the Graphical User Interface (GUI) Changed Computing
How windows, icons and menus grew out of research from the 1960s to the 1980s, and what the graphical interface did and did not change for ordinary users.
The Origins of the First Computer: Charles Babbage's Vision
How Babbage's Analytical Engine planned a store, a mill and punched-card control a century before electronic computers, and why it was never finished.
The History of Computer-Aided Design
A broad timeline of computer-aided design, from 1960s research labs and large manufacturers to 2D drafting and 3D modeling on desktop personal computers.
The Early Days of Computer Gaming
An overview of early computer games from the 1950s to the 1970s, from laboratory demonstrations and mainframe pastimes to the first coin-operated machines.
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Machines and Interfaces
The hardware that computing runs on and the ways people use it.
Hardware and Systems From vacuum tubes to chips: the machines and the system software that ran them. 7 guides Interfaces and Input How people came to talk to computers through keyboards, mice and screens. 8 guides Early Machines ENIAC, early electronic and commercial computers, and the mainframe era. 5 guides Personal Computers How microprocessors and hobby kits led to computers at home. 6 guides Mobile Computing Laptops, phones and handheld devices. 3 guides Storage and Displays The media that held data and the screens that showed it, from cards to flash. 9 guides
People and Ideas
The thinkers and ideas behind computing.
Early Visions The first ideas about programmable machines, algorithms and thinking computers. 5 guides Computing Overview Broad surveys of computing history, early software and the people behind the field. 7 guides People and Teams The many people, often in teams, behind computing, including those history overlooked. 9 guides
Software and Applications
What computers were taught to do, from design to games to teaching.
Engineering Software Computers as tools for design, simulation and making things. 8 guides Graphics and Games Pictures, animation, games and virtual worlds made by computers. 10 guides Business Software How firms came to track customers, money and marketing with computers. 5 guides Learning and Language Computers used for teaching and translating. 6 guides Sound and Speech Computers making music and understanding spoken words. 3 guides Programming Languages How people came to write instructions for machines, and why so many languages exist. 9 guides Video Game History Themes in the history of games: consoles, home coders, genres and sound. 9 guides
Networks and the Web
How computers learned to talk to each other.
Computers and Society
How computing reached health, nature, transport and everyday life.
Health and Medicine What computers have changed in care and medical research, and what they have not. 4 guides Earth and Infrastructure Computers in environmental science, mapping, transport and logistics. 6 guides Impact on Society How computing changed work, science, communication and daily life. 5 guides Schools and Workplaces How computers entered classrooms and offices and changed daily routines. 9 guides
Reference Shelf
Plain-language explainers, timelines, glossaries and guides for looking things up.
How Computers Work The core ideas inside a computer, explained through the history of how they developed. 9 guides Computing by Decade A decade-by-decade tour of what computing looked like and what changed. 10 guides Preserving Computing History How old machines, software and data are saved, restored and kept readable. 8 guides Myths and Misconceptions Popular stories about computing history, checked against what is known. 8 guides Glossary and Word Origins Plain-language explanations of computing terms and where they come from. 8 guides