From Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine to ChatGPT, here is the fast-paced history behind the technology we use every day.
Technology moves so fast that it is easy to forget how far it has actually come. A little historical context makes tech trivia — and the news headlines about AI and big tech — much easier to follow.
The Earliest Idea of a Computer
Long before electricity powered anything, Charles Babbage designed the Analytical Engine in the 19th century, a mechanical device widely considered the conceptual ancestor of the modern computer — which is why he is often called the "father of computers."
The Languages That Built the Web
HTML structures a web page, CSS styles it, and JavaScript makes it interactive — together, these three technologies are the foundation of virtually every website you visit. Tim Berners-Lee's invention of the World Wide Web in 1989 is what made all of this possible in the first place.
The Rise of Big Tech
Companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Amazon were all founded by individuals — Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Jeff Bezos among them — whose early decisions still shape how billions of people use technology today.
The AI Moment
OpenAI's ChatGPT brought artificial intelligence into everyday conversation almost overnight, but AI as a field has been developing for decades — today's chatbots are simply the most visible result of that long research history.
Test Your Tech Knowledge
From Babbage to ChatGPT, how much of this history do you actually know? Try Quizlino's /category.php?id=48.