From Tabulating Machines to Tech: 100 Years of IBM

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)

<b>1911: CTR formed</b> IBM was formed as the Computing Tabulating and Recording Company or C-T-R, specializing in punch cards, commercial scales and clocks. (IBM Corp.)

<b>1923: Census Punch Cards</b> IBM's punched card technology helped tackle large-scale projects like the U.S. Census. (IBM)

<b>1924: Renamed IBM</b> With global ambitions, the company renamed itself International Business Machines -- today, IBM operates in 170 countries. (IBM)

<b>1935: Systems Service Women</b> IBM pioneered training courses for women so they could work in technical positions traditionally filled by men. (IBM)

<b>1936: Social Security</b> IBM worked with the U.S. government to start Social Security -- the largest accounting project of its time. (IBM)

<b>1944: Auto Sequence Controlled Calculator</b> IBM's five-ton Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator was the first machine to handle long calculations automatically. (IBM)

<b>1956: RAMAC</b> RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control), the first magnetic hard disk drive, created the data storage industry. (IBM)

<b>1961: Selectric</b> The Selectric Typewriter was an instant design sensation, delighting typists for 25 years. (IBM)

<b>1962: SABRE</b> IBM and American Airlines launched the world's first computer-driven airline reservation system, SABRE, which paved the way for online banking technology. (IBM)

<b>1964: System360</b> The company made a big bet with the System/360 -- an early mainframe that helped usher in the era of computer compatibility. (IBM)

<b>1969: Apollo</b> 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)

<b>1969: Magnetic Strip</b> IBM labs developed the magnetic strips on credit cards -- still ubiquitous on ID cards, drivers' licenses and ATM bank cards. (IBM)

<b>1971: The Floppy Disk</b> IBM created the floppy disk, which made storage powerful and affordable -- and the PC revolution possible. (IBM)

<b>1973: The Bar Code</b> Supermarkets started scanning UPC bar codes invented by IBM. Today they track everything from clothing to dairy cows. (IBM)

<b>1980: LASIK</b> IBM was granted the first patent for LASIK surgery technology in 1980 -- and continues to hold more patents than any company. (IBM)

<b>1981: IBM PC</b> The IBM Personal Computer launched the PC revolution, helping computers go mainstream beyond hobbyists and geeks. (IBM)

<b>1984: Words</b> 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)

<b>1984: The PC Jr.</b> 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.  (Wikipedia)

<b>1986: Spelling with atoms</b> IBM scientists won the Nobel Prize for the scanning tunnel microscope -- which would eventually manipulate atoms to spell I-B-M. (IBM)

<b>1987: OS/2 Operating Systems</b> 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.  (Wikipedia)

<b>1997: DeepBlue</b> IBM's Deep Blue supercomputer defeated the best chess player in the world. (IBM)

<b>2001: Linux</b> IBM invested $1 billion in Linux, the open-source operating system that has largely supplanted the proprietary OSes that ran business machines for decades.

<b>2008: Smarter Planet</b> Smarter Planet launched to improve how the world works - now smart buoys in Ireland's Galway bay detect pollution, protect fish stock. (IBM)

<b>2011: Watson Supercomputer</b> Watson latest innovation: a supercomputer that can detect nuances in words, irony and riddles -- and inspire new realms of search queries and artificial intelligence. (IBM)