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Sept. 17, 1969: Business recovers quickly after hurricane thanks to magnetic tape storage
Magnetic tape patterns replaced paper patterns at a Mississippi factory, allowing for a quick recovery after Hurricane Camille. “Computerization Helps Firm Recover from Hurricane” published in Computerworld Volume 3, Issue...
Jan. 15, 1969: Automated manufacturing transforms how post office box keys are made
A simple key production pipeline was automated, similar to how keys are replicated today. “Computerized Key Cutter Ordered by Post Office” published in Computerworld Volume 3, Issue 2 on January...
New report highlights how innovations in data, AI and publishing are advancing science
Photo by Chokniti Khongchum from Pexels By Deborah O’Neil Open science, data sharing, artificial intelligence, and digital-first publishing are rapidly transforming scientific research and discovery. Last fall, the National Academies...
July 9, 1969: ACM hosts inaugural "Computer Music and Art Festival"
For the first time, computer-generated music and art was featured at one of the largest computer conferences in the world. “Computer Arts Festival Planned” published in Computerworld Volume 3, Issue...
Jan. 29, 1969: North Carolina installs computer system to track legislative bills
Computerizing the bill-tracking process in the North Carolina legislature saved time and enabled new connections with the media and academic researchers. “System to Help Legislature Monitor Progress of Bills” published...
Dec. 4, 1968: Patentability of computer programs legally recognized in Prater and Wei
A tumultuous series of court hearings granted a software patent to two engineers and helped establish the legality of software patents. “Court Overrules Patent Office, Qualifies ‘Mental Process’ Ban” published...
June 19, 1968: First software patent awarded to Martin Goetz
In the early days of software engineering, innovations in the software realm were considered to be unpatentable. This began to change with the first patent, awarded to an engineer for...
May 8, 1968: The Baseball Encyclopedia becomes first book with computer typesetting
An IBM 360 computer processed and typeset 100 years of baseball data into an encyclopedia, marking a milestone in both baseball history and publishing technology. “Complete Baseball Fact Book Planned”...
April 3, 1968: Early visions for self-driving cars relied on computerized roadways
While today’s efforts to create a driverless future focus on artificially intelligent cars, an early attempt instead focused on computer-controlled roads. “A Driverless Car In Your Future” published in Computerworld...
April 3, 1968: Students rule ancient cities in early educational video games
In 1968, students played The Sumerian Game, recognized as the world’s first educational video game. It was originally designed by Mabel Addis, recognized as the world’s first video game writer....