On May 8, 1995, major U.S. newspapers including the New York Times and Washington Post formed the New Century Network to deliver online content and pioneer digital news distribution.

On May 7, 1895, Otto Steiger received a US patent for the Millionaire, the first European mechanical calculator capable of directly multiplying two numbers up to five digits long using a clever crank-driven mechanism.

On May 6, 1949, the British computer EDSAC performed its first calculation at Cambridge University. Built by Maurice Wilkes, this stored-program machine ran at 714 operations per second and pioneered subroutine libraries on punched paper tapes.

On May 5, 1952, Geoffrey Dummer proposed the concept of the integrated circuit, laying the groundwork for modern microchips essential to data processing, analytics, and computing.[1]

On May 4, 1995, Commodore International, maker of the groundbreaking Amiga computers with advanced graphics and multitasking, was acquired by German firm Escom.[1]

On May 3, 1978, the earliest known case of spam occurred when Gary Thuerk sent unsolicited email to 400 ARPANET users to advertise DEC computers, marking the birth of email spam in computing history.[1]

On May 2, 1983, Microsoft introduced the 2-button mouse, a key innovation in human-computer interaction that made graphical user interfaces more intuitive and accessible.[1]

On May 1, 1707, Henry Baker was born. This English naturalist became a pioneering data visualizer, publishing the first English book of microscopic illustrations in 1730s—early data viz from magnified observations!

On April 30, 1916, Claude Shannon was born in Gaylord, Michigan. He invented information theory and was the first to use the word "bit," establishing it as the fundamental unit of both data and computation.

On April 29, 1928, Laszlo Belady was born. He created the Belady algorithm, a key method for optimizing computer performance by minimizing page faults in virtual memory systems.[3]

On April 28, 1994, the Clinton administration launched a multimillion-dollar program to aid US companies in flat-panel display tech, countering Japanese dominance and boosting screens for laptops and military use.

On April 27, 1981, 15-year-old Richard Skrenta created Elk Cloner, the first computer virus. It spread via floppy disks on Apple II computers, displaying a cheeky poem after 50 boots. A pivotal moment in cybersecurity history.

On April 26, 1985, the first ARM processor powered up, revolutionizing low-power computing and enabling modern mobile devices and embedded systems.

On April 25, 1961, Robert Noyce received a patent for the integrated circuit, a breakthrough that replaced transistors and made computers significantly smaller and more powerful.

On April 24, 1981, IBM launched its first personal computer, the IBM PC (model 5150). Powered by a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 processor, 16KB RAM, and PC-DOS 1.0 from Microsoft, it revolutionized computing accessibility.

On April 23, 1968, the first U.S. software patent was granted to Martin Goetz for a method of sorting data on a computer (Patent No. 3,380,029). This breakthrough recognized software as intellectual property, paving the way for the modern software industry.

On April 22, 1977, optical fiber was used for the first time in telephone transmissions, enabling high-speed data transfer over long distances via light pulses and revolutionizing modern data communications.[4]

On April 21, 1988, Tandy announced plans to build IBM PS/2 clones, accelerating the PC cloning era and spurring competition in personal computing hardware.[3]

On April 20, 1951, the MIT Whirlwind computer made its television debut, showcasing real-time computing capabilities to the public for the first time.[2]

On April 19, 1957, researchers ran the first FORTRAN program at Westinghouse. Developed by IBM's John Backus team, this high-level language revolutionized programming by making it intuitive for scientists and engineers.[2][3]

On April 18, 1986, IBM became the first company to use a megabit chip, a major leap in memory density that advanced data storage and computing power.[2]

On April 17, 1939, Hewlett-Packard was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in a Palo Alto garage, kickstarting innovations in computing, data processing, and tech that power modern data science and engineering.

On April 16, 1947, a U.S. court ruled John Atanasoff the inventor of key computer concepts like electronic digital computation and binary memory in the ABC machine—ideas declared unpatentable and open to all.[1]

On April 15, 1969, Martin Goetz received U.S. Patent No. 3,380,029 for a method of sorting data on a computer—the first software patent, recognizing code as intellectual property and advancing data processing.

On April 14, 1958, the BBC demonstrated VERA, the second practical video recorder. Developed by Dr. Peter Axon, it used half-inch magnetic tape at 200 inches per second to record 15 minutes of video—pioneering digital media storage tech.

On April 13, 1909, mathematician Stanislaw Ulam was born. Ulam made groundbreaking contributions to computer science and mathematics, including work on algorithms and computational theory that shaped modern computing.

On April 12, 1981, the HP-41 calculator was used in space, marking a significant moment in the history of portable computing technology and its application in aerospace missions.

On April 11, 1976, Steve Wozniak built the Apple I computer. Steve Jobs suggested selling them instead of giving them away for free, a decision that would shape the future of personal computing.

On April 10, 1943, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania began work on ENIAC, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. It would become the first general-purpose fully electronic computer, performing calculations 1,000 times faster than any prior machine.

On April 9, 1943, the U.S. Army signed a contract with J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly to build ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic digital computer. This massive machine computed artillery firing solutions in seconds, launching the electronic computing age.

On April 8, 1991, Sun Microsystems' Java team relocated to work secretly on the Oak project, later renamed Java—a language that revolutionized cross-platform software development and data processing.[5][6]

On April 7, 1964, IBM launched the revolutionary System/360 mainframe architecture. Named 360 to serve all customers, it transformed business computing. Fred Brooks, its leader, coined the term computer architecture.[1]

On April 6, 1911, computer pioneer Cuthbert Hurd was born. He championed early computing at IBM, leading development of the IBM 701—the first commercial scientific computer—and advancing data processing and numerical analysis.[2]

On April 5, 1993, Nvidia was founded, eventually becoming a pioneer in graphics processing and AI computing that would transform data visualization and machine learning.

On April 4, 1994, Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark founded Mosaic Communications Corporation, soon renamed Netscape, launching the Navigator browser that revolutionized web data access and visualization.

On April 3, 1973, the first portable cell phone call was made in New York City when Motorola's Martin Cooper called Bell Labs engineer Joel Cooper from a handheld cellular telephone, revolutionizing mobile communication technology.

On April 2, 1980, Microsoft announced SoftCard, the first Apple II add-on card running CP/M, enabling Z80 assembly and data processing apps on the popular home computer.[3]

On April 1, 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple Computer, Inc. to develop and sell the Apple I personal computer, revolutionizing personal computing and eventually transforming the technology industry.

On March 31, 1939, Harvard and IBM signed an agreement to build the Mark I, also known as the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC). This electromechanical giant weighed 5 tons, had 750,000 components, and read instructions from paper tape and punch cards.

On March 30, 1951, the US Census Bureau received UNIVAC I, the first commercial computer, from J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly. Capable of 1,905 operations per second using magnetic tape storage, it revolutionized data processing.[1][2][3]

On March 29, 1989, Pixar wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Tin Toy, a groundbreaking computer-animated work that paved the way for modern CGI in movies.

On March 28, 1986, a Roche Laboratories team published in Science magazine the theoretical basis for the HIV protease molecule, marking one of the earliest uses of computers in AIDS research to design targeted antiviral drugs.[1]

On March 27, 1976, 20-year-old Bill Gates delivered the opening address at the First Annual World Altair Computer Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, showcasing the BASIC programming language he helped develop for the Altair computer.

On March 26, 1996, Hewlett-Packard co-founder David Packard passed away. He and Bill Hewlett founded HP in a Palo Alto garage in 1938, launching what became Silicon Valley and revolutionizing computing with innovations in personal computers and laser printers.

On March 25, 1985, Microsoft launched Excel for Macintosh, revolutionizing data analysis, spreadsheets, and visualization with its powerful grid-based interface and formulas.[3]

On March 24, 1959, Texas Instruments demonstrated the first integrated circuit, invented by Jack Kilby. This breakthrough miniaturized electronic circuits on a single chip, revolutionizing computing, data processing, and modern electronics.

On March 23, 1928, computer pioneer Jean Sammet was born. She advanced early programming languages like COBOL and FORMAC, chaired the ACM committee on programming languages, and authored influential books on software history.[2][3]

On March 22, 1993, Intel began shipping the Pentium chip, revolutionizing computing with its superscalar architecture and 100 MIPS performance at 60-66 MHz. A pivotal leap in processor tech![1]

On March 21, 2001, Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance, a handheld console with advanced graphics capabilities powered by a 32-bit ARM processor and innovative data rendering for portable gaming.[1]

On March 20, 1909, Edmund Berkeley was born. He co-founded the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) in 1947 and wrote Giant Brains, or Machines that Think—one of the first popular books on computers.