Arithmometer

French mathematician Thomas de Colmar develops the Arithmometer in 1820. The patented Arithmometer performs basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It is the first mass produced and commercially successful calculator. It stays in use up through the early 1900s.
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SimCity

The software gaming company Maxis releases the classic SimCity in 1989. Will Wright and Jeff Braun establish Maxis after no takers are found to distribute the game. Inspired by the complex interactions in the growth of cities, Wright studies urban planning and incorporates what he learns into the game. SimCity sells millions of copies and captures media attention, spawning three sequels and many imitations.
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Trade sanctions of PCs

The U.S. Commerce Department lifts its trade sanctions of PCs with Communist bloc nations in July 1989. Despite stringent controls directed by the Department of Defense, the Soviet Union and China are able to import systems from Brazil, India and Taiwan. The decision opens the door for American computer makers to market PC desktops and laptops computers to the previously restricted regions.
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Xerox Alto

The Xerox Alto computer is developed in 1972. Regarded as the precursor to today's PC, it has a bitmap screen display, windows, drop-down menus, hard disk, a mouse, a software productivity suite with a word processor, and even email. As Xerox focuses on copier technology and patents, the Alto researchers eventually move on to Microsoft, IBM, and Apple, taking with them their Alto knowledge and technology.
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ENIAC

The ENIAC is built at the University of Pennsylvania in 1945. The Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer is the first all-electronic computer designed to be capable of being reprogrammed by rewiring to solve a full range of computing problems. The ENIAC has a clock speed of 100 kHz and is used for military purposes, such as calculating ballistic firing tables and designing atomic weapons.
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The Mythical Man Month

The classic book "The Mythical Man Month" is published by Fred Brooks in 1975. Brooks reflects on the mistakes made and lessons learned while working as a project manager at IBM. The book cites the fallacy in the attempt to add more workers to a project that is falling behind schedule. His observation, known as Brooks' Law, is simple: adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.
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PARC

The Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) officially opens its doors at 3180 Porter Drive in Palo Alto, California on July 1, 1970. The center's mission is to research and create "the architecture of information." The center's most notable development, among others, is the WIMP (windows, icons, menus and pointers) paradigm, which spawns the Macintosh, OS/2, and Windows graphical user interfaces.
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