Move Back
![IBM History Opener]()
From its origins in the "tabulating machine" business to its current role in data mining, IBM has remained a technology juggernaut, inventing countless technologies -- little things like the personal computer and LASIK eye surgery.![IBM History 1911_CTR_formed]()
1911: CTR formed IBM was formed as the Computing Tabulating and Recording Company or C-T-R, specializing in punch cards, commercial scales and clocks.![IBM History 1923_Census_Punch_Cards]()
1923: Census Punch Cards IBM's punched card technology helped tackle large-scale projects like the U.S. Census.![IBM History 1924_Renamed_IBM]()
1924: Renamed IBM With global ambitions, the company renamed itself International Business Machines -- today, IBM operates in 170 countries.![IBM History 1935_Systems_Service_Women]()
1935: Systems Service Women IBM pioneered training courses for women so they could work in technical positions traditionally filled by men.![IBM History 1936_Social_Security]()
1936: Social Security IBM worked with the U.S. government to start Social Security -- the largest accounting project of its time.![IBM History 1944_Auto_Sequence_Controlled_Calculator]()
1944: Auto Sequence Controlled Calculator IBM's five-ton Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator was the first machine to handle long calculations automatically.![IBM History 1956_RAMAC]()
1956: RAMAC RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control), the first magnetic hard disk drive, created the data storage industry.![IBM History 1961_Selectric]()
1961: Selectric The Selectric Typewriter was an instant design sensation, delighting typists for 25 years.![IBM History 1962_SABRE]()
1962: SABRE IBM and American Airlines launched the world's first computer-driven airline reservation system, SABRE, which paved the way for online banking technology.![IBM History 1964_System360]()
1964: System360 The company made a big bet with the System/360 -- an early mainframe that helped usher in the era of computer compatibility.![IBM History 1969_Apollo]()
1969: Apollo Along with dozens of companies, IBM technology helped guide the Apollo mission to the moon -- the company played a part in the U.S. space program since the 1950s.![IBM History 1969_Mag_strip]()
1969: Magnetic Strip IBM labs developed the magnetic strips on credit cards -- still ubiquitous on ID cards, drivers' licenses and ATM bank cards.![IBM History 1971_floppy]()
1971: The Floppy Disk IBM created the floppy disk, which made storage powerful and affordable -- and the PC revolution possible.![IBM History 1973_BarCode]()
1973: The Bar Code Supermarkets started scanning UPC bar codes invented by IBM. Today they track everything from clothing to dairy cows.![IBM History 1980_LASIK]()
1980: LASIK IBM was granted the first patent for LASIK surgery technology in 1980 -- and continues to hold more patents than any company.![IBM History 1981_IBM_PC]()
1981: IBM PC The IBM Personal Computer launched the PC revolution, helping computers go mainstream beyond hobbyists and geeks.![IBM History 1984_words]()
1984: Words By the mid-'80s, IBM computers understood 5,000 spoken words at 95 percent accuracy, the company claims; today, speech recognition is pervasive at home and on the road.![IBM History 1984 PCjr]()
1984: The PC Jr. The IBM PC Jr., designed as a potential replacement for the still nascent personal computer market, was one of the company's most costly failures -- and is widely considered one of the biggest failures in computing history.![IBM History 1986_Spelling_with_atoms]()
1986: Spelling with atoms IBM scientists won the Nobel Prize for the scanning tunnel microscope -- which would eventually manipulate atoms to spell I-B-M.![IBM History 1987 OS2]()
1987: OS/2 Operating Systems The OS/2 operating system, part of the company's "next-generation" PS/2 line of computers, as never as successful as Microsoft's Windows. Eventually, the company discontinued sales.![IBM History 1997_DeepBlue]()
1997: DeepBlue IBM's Deep Blue supercomputer defeated the best chess player in the world.![IBM History 2001_Linux]()
2001: Linux IBM invested $1 billion in Linux, the open-source operating system that has largely supplanted the proprietary OSes that ran business machines for decades.![IBM History 2008_Smarter_Planet]()
2008: Smarter Planet Smarter Planet launched to improve how the world works - now smart buoys in Ireland's Galway bay detect pollution, protect fish stock.![IBM History 2011_Watson]()
2011: Watson Supercomputer Watson latest innovation: a supercomputer that can detect nuances in words, irony and riddles -- and inspire new realms of search queries and artificial intelligence.From Tabulating Machines to Tech: 100 Years of IBM
IBM turns 100 years old on Thursday, and what a trip the company has made from its origins in punch cards and "calculating machines." Here, a brief history of innovation from the tech powerhouse.
Move Forward
- From Tabulating Machines to Tech: 100 Years of IBM
