By Sohail Akbari, Jonathan Ackerman, and Ben Aronow The 1970s Decade Project By Sohail Akbari, Jonathan Ackerman, and Ben Aronow

Apple

Apple Apple played a significant role in the 1970s by making advancements in computer technology. The Apple II computer was one of the first home computers to have color graphics, and in 1979, VisiCalc, a very popular app that enabled people to create spreadsheets on their computers, was put on the Apple II . Apple was important because it was one of the first companies to make computers that the average person could buy and use.

Intel

Intel Intel was a very important computer company in the 1970s. The Intel 4 Bit Microprocessor was the first microprocessor to be available commercially, and Intel continued to make faster microprocessors, such as the Intel 8080. Also, Intel created some of the first computers that used microprocessors. Intel’s invention of the microprocessor is what made it possible for computers to become much smaller and faster than they had been previously.

6 Inventions/Innovations Floppy Disk Microprocessor Pong Altair 8800 Cell Phones Cray Supercomputer

5 ¼ Inch Floppy Disk Floppy disks were devices commonly used to store data in the 1970s. They works because they contains magnetic particles that are aligned in order to represent data. The 5 ¼ inch floppy disk was an improvement on the existing 8 inch floppy disk, and it was invented by Alan Shugart, an IBM engineer. The 5 ¼ Floppy disk was important because, since it was smaller that the 8 inch Floppy disk, more data could be stored because the disks took up less space.

Intel 4 Bit Microprocessor A microprocessor is a single chip that performs all of the functions of a computer’s central processing unit. It works because tiny transistors are etched on to the chip. The Intel microprocessor was invented in 1971 by Masatoshi Shima, Ted Hoff, Federico Faggin, and Stanley Mazor. It was very important because it made it possible for computers to become much smaller, as opposed to earlier computers that took up several rooms.

Video Games-Pong A popular arcade video game called Pong was developed and designed by Atari, and was released on November 29, 1972. Pong was one of the first successful arcade video games, and it featured virtual tennis in 2D. It worked by using transistor-transistor logic to determine how to ball would move after hitting the paddle. It was important because it helped to form the video game industry, which rapidly grew after Pong was invented.

Altair 8800 The Altair 8800 is a microcomputer that was designed in 1974 by MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) It worked by using the Intel 8080 microprocessor and by putting essential components on different cards. It was important because it was one of the first popular microcomputers. It became popular in 1975 when it was featured in a magazine called Popular Electronics.

Cell Phones The cell phone was invented in 1973 by Martin Cooper at Motorola. A cell phone is a phone that can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link while moving around a wide geographic area. A cell phone works by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile phone operator, allowing access to the public telephone network. Cell phones were significant because they enabled people to communicate from many different areas without using a landline, which is why cell phones are now used by billions of people around the world.

Cray Supercomputer The Cray-1 was a supercomputer designed, manufactured and marketed by Cray Research. The first Cray-1 system was installed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1976 and went on to become one of the best known and most successful supercomputers in history. It worked by using thousands of microchips to increase performance. The Cray-1's architect was Seymour Cray. It was significant because it made advancements in computing speed and led to the creation of even faster computers.