Evolution
Of Computing
The Age of the Integrated Circuit: 1960s
The dawn of the integrated circuit changed the world and the way we communicate, operate and function.

Digital's PDP-1 (photo credit: Computer History Museum)
1958-9
Robert Noyce (Fairchild Semiconductor) and Jack Kilby (Texas Instruments) independently invent the integrated circuit at about the same time. This was a breakthrough because it allowed multiple transistors to be placed on a single fragment of silicon.
1960
Digital introduces its first “mini-computer”, the PDP-1, complete with monitor and keyboard input.
1961
The first commercial integrated circuit is made available by Fairchild Semiconductors.
1963
ASCII, American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is introduced. This code is developed by both the US Government and computer industry. ASCII was the standardization in computer codes that enabled computers to exchange their data.

Inside TI's first electronic handheld calculator (photo credit: Texas Instruments)
1965
Gordon Moore predicts that the number of transistors placeable on a computer chip will double every year. This statement becomes what is known as Moore’s Law. Doug Engelbart creates a prototype of the computer mouse.
1967
IBM builds the first (8-inch!) floppy disk. The handheld pocket calculator is invented by Jack Kilby and his team at Texas Instruments (TI).

