June 16th, 1911 - Three small companies merge and become the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation (CTR). 13 years later, their President, Thomas J. Watson, renames them to IBM.
One of the most innovative companies in the world has turned 100 years today. And what a century it has been. IBM has made a huge technological impact on the way our world functions today. It's hard to summarize how huge it really is... I can guarantee that everyday, every one of us interacts with technology that was invented by IBM.
For example, the Universal Product Code and barcode scanners used in every store around the world today. And Online Transaction Processing Systems, technology used for real-time online transactions in banking, airlines, order processing, e-commerce, and manufacturing systems. The magnetic stripe technology, used in credit cards, debit cards, and many other cards. The Selectric typewriter. The laser printer.
Their computing inventions do not get any less impressive. Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), RISC Architecture, Relational Databases, Data Encryption Standard.... IBM System/360, The IBM PC... And the list goes on.
IBM made a really cool short video showcasing their greatest inventions over the last 100 years. You can also check out their Icons of Progress page to see more.
Here is also a short movie if you have some time to kill, "They Were There", told by IBMers who were involved in some of those innovative projects that shaped our lives.
You can also check out their IBM 100 site to see how they have changed the world.
I'm excited to see what IBM will bring us in the next century.
Happy 100th Birthday International Business Machines!
No comments:
Post a Comment