I was born in 1987. I remember growing up and there was some technology that I just didn't grasp yet because it wasn't something that the average Joe and Jane possessed. I remember being in middle school when computers were first introduced to our school as a requirement to learn because our district believed that computers were the way of the future and their students needed to know how to operate them. I remember when cell phones were big, chunky pieces of metal and plastic and when pagers were the "hip way" of contacting someone. I remember life before cellular devices were commonplace and the regular use of payphones and rotary phones.
Even before I was born, there were some important inventions that were being created and produced that would lead to today's modern day technology. Without it, I doubt we would be where we are today. Some of the important technological advancements I believe that have come since the 1970’s are:
The Floppy Disk
I believe this is an important advancement because this was the predecessor to other external storages. I believe this helped pave the way for USB drives and even online cloud storages.
Portable Cassette Player and 8-Track Tape
The Portable Cassette Player and 8-Track Tape; This paved the way for people to be able to become mobile with their music. This led to the invention of the portable CD player, all the way to new car stereos.
Altair 8800 (1975) Apple’s All-In-One Personal Computer (1976)
These paved the way for all computer related technology. Because of these inventions we can now have personal computers within our homes and that can be utilized for mobility when required. We wouldn’t be able to read articles on this site without acknowledging the paved path the All-In-One Personal Computer and Altair 8800 created.
Motorola DynaTAC 8000X
Motorola DynaTAC 8000X
The Original Cell Phone; First to hit markets in 1983, this hunk of technology paved the way for all cellular devices to come after it. Combining this and the technology from the All-In-One Personal Computer is something that I think massively helped bring forth the idea of having “smart phones”- devices that are a combination of mini computers and cellular devices.
Videocassette Recorders (VCR’s)
I remember being a kid and getting our very first VCR. We were the coolest kids in the neighborhood and our neighbors would always help pitch in to buy tapes so we could have “movie nights” all together. Thinking back to this and seeing where we have advanced with movies is astonishing to think that’s happened all within my life time.
CRT Screen
In 1947 there was an invention called the “cathode-ray tube amusement device” (also known as the CRT screen), that paved the way for the very first video game. In 1950 there was a new gaming system called “Nimrod computer” that produced the game “Nim”. In 1952 the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator was created to play an electronic version of tic-tac-toe, which was the foundational idea for the 1958 of “Tennis for Two” which was played on an oscilloscope. This is considered to be the “first true video game” created, but these were the inventions that inspired the boom in video games and arcades in the 1970s and 1980s. Those creations paved the way for what we have now for gaming systems.
Light Emitting Diode (LED) Digital Wristwatch
the Light Emitting Diode (LED) Digital Wristwatch.
In 1970 the Light Emitting Diode (LED) Digital Wristwatch was created and was sold to the masses. It featured a LED screen with the time on it. I believe that invention helped pave the way for smart watches today.
In 1971 Email was first introduced as a product for people to use to communicate with others. It has evolved since then to the mastermind of communication that it is now.
Cromemco Digital Camera
In 1975 the Cromemco Digital Camera was invented. I remember as late as 2006 that having a digital camera was considered “popular” and how that’s morphed into cellular devices now.
GPS
The U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy created GPS (Global Positioning System) in 1978. That alone has created a path of adventure for people over the years to effectively navigate the world.
