THE HISTORICAL RECORD · INDEPENDENT RESEARCH EDITION
The past
is not finished.
A documentary history of programming and computing, built from original records, competing interpretations and the people behind the machines.
We reconstruct what the records support. When witnesses disagree, definitions change, or documents are missing, the uncertainty belongs on the page.
Investigate competing claims ↗THE CATALOGUE / TEN FIELDS OF INQUIRY
History, opened
by subject.
Independent collections with defined research questions and starting sources—not a generic list of celebrated inventions.
CHRONOLOGY / SELECTED DOCUMENTED MILESTONES
Dates are
only the beginning.
Filter a few anchor events by era. These are curated examples, not a complete account of computing history.
Lovelace’s notes
Her published notes on the Analytical Engine describe operations and their potential; design and execution must remain distinct.
ENIAC unveiled
The University of Pennsylvania publicly demonstrates ENIAC; programming labor forms part of the account.
EDSAC runs
Cambridge’s EDSAC performs calculations using stored programs and mercury delay-line memory.
Hopper completes A-0
A-0 reflects early work in automating the organization of programming tasks on UNIVAC.
FORTRAN arrives
The IBM team led by John Backus introduces a compiled scientific programming language.
Early ARPANET
The first experimental ARPANET nodes and host-to-host message form part of a longer networking story.
Personal computers expand
Machines such as the PET and TRS-80 join the expanding home and school computer market.
Linked information
Berners-Lee drafts a proposal at CERN for a distributed hypertext information system.
Browser + server
The early WorldWideWeb browser/editor and server become demonstrable at CERN.
Web software released
CERN places the Web software in the public domain on 30 April, aiding dissemination.
Dates and descriptions draw on the Computer History Museum chronology ↗, CERN archival proposal ↗ and the Internet Society retrospective ↗. Each linked collection provides research context.
Four dates.
One familiar myth.
The birth of the Web is often described as one moment of invention. CERN’s proposal, software timeline and public-release records tell a more precise story.
Read the investigation ↗MANAGEMENT
A proposal → A prototype → A release → Adoption
OPEN SCHOLARSHIP
Readers can
rewrite the record.
A missing contributor, an earlier document, or a better interpretation can change an article. We review submissions, disclose material corrections and maintain public edition notes.
Identify the claim and provide provenance.
Distinguish documentation from inference.
Show the change, date and rationale.