LibGuides: CS 300: The Computing Professional: History Research Project Topics

History Topic Suggestions

Abacus
Ada Lovelace
Adele Goldberg
AI
Alan Turing
Alonzo Church
Altair
Anita Borg
Any programming language
AOL
Apple
ARPANET
Automotive Software
Barbara Liskov
BBN
Bill Gates
Blaise Pascal
Bletchley Park
Blogging
Bob Metcalfe
Charles Babbage
Cloud Computing
Colossus
Compaq
Database Systems
Difference Engine
Donna Dubinsky
DOS
Email
ENIAC
Enigma
Ethernet
Euclid
Facebook
Frances Allen
Functional Programming
Gaming
Gertrude Blanch
GNU/FSF
Grace Hopper
Harvard Mark I
Hollerith
Homebrew Computing Club
HP
IBM
IBM-PC
Intel
Jean Bartik
Jean Sammet
Jon Postel
Jon von Neumann
Kevin Mitnick
Konrad Zuse
Larry Page
Linus Torvalds
Linux
Macintosh
Malware
Marc Andriessen
Maria Klawe
Marissa Mayer
Mark Zuckerberg
Michael Dell
Microsoft
MUDs/MMORPGs
Myspace
Netscape
Oracle
Social Networking
Spreadsheets
Steve Jobs
Steve Wozniak
T.J. Watson
TCP/IP
Twitter
Unix
Usenet
Viruses
Windows
Word Processing
World-Wide Web
Xerox PARC
YouTube
and more...

Google Book Search

Google Books allows you to search approximately 30 million books. While not able to provide full text for in-copyright works, this type of research can still be helpful.

Inspiration

Ada Lovelace was an extremely gifted mathematician who wrote what is considered to be the very first computer program in the mid 1800's.

http://siliconbayounews.com/2017/09/01/brief-history-ada-lovelace-awards/

Calculating Ada The Countess of Computers

Ada Lovelace was a most unlikely computer pioneer. In this film, Dr Hannah Fry tells the story of Ada's remarkable life. Born in the early 19th century Ada was a countess of the realm, a scandalous socialite and an 'enchantress of numbers'. The film is an enthralling tale of how a life infused with brilliance, but blighted by illness and gambling addiction, helped give rise to the modern era of computing.

History of Computing Books + eBooks

Computing : a historical and technical perspective by Yoshihide Igarashi; Tom Altman; Mariko Funada; Barbara Kamiyama
Call Number: QA 76 .I23 2014
Publication Date: 2014
Exploring a vast array of topics related to computation, Computing: A Historical and Technical Perspective covers the historical and technical foundation of ancient and modern-day computing.
The Innovators: How a Group of Inventors, Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson
Call Number: QA 76.2 .A2 I87 2014
Publication Date: 2014
The Innovators is Walter Isaacson's revealing story of the people who created the computer and the Internet.
Who Invented the Computer?: The Legal Battle That Changed Computing History by Alice Rowe Burks
Call Number: QA 76.17 .B87 2003
Publication Date: 2003
With meticulous research, Alice Rowe Burks examines both the trial and its aftermath, presenting telling evidence in convincing and absorbing fashion, and leaving no doubt about the actual originator of what has been called the greatest invention of the 20th century.
The Web Was Done by Amateurs by Marco Aiello
Call Number: e-book
Publication Date: 2018
In Go To, Steve Lohr chronicles the history of software from the early days of complex mathematical codes mastered by a few thousand to today's era of user-friendly software and over six million professional programmers worldwide.
A Brief History of Computing by Gerard O'Regan
Call Number: ebook
Publication Date: 2012
The history of computing has its origins at the outset of civilization, and the need for increasingly sophisticated calculations has grown as towns and communities evolved
Introduction to the History of Computing by Gerard O'Regan
Call Number: e-book
Publication Date: 2016
Tracing the story of computing from Babylonian counting boards to smartphones, this inspiring textbook provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of computing, together with discussion exercises to stimulate deeper investigation into this fascinating area.
Reflections on the History of Computing: Preserving Memories and Sharing Stories by Arthur Tatnall
Call Number: ebook
Publication Date: 2012
This book is a collection of refereed invited papers on the history of computing from the 1940s to the 1990s.
Science of Operations: Machines, Logic and the Invention of Programming by Priestley, Mark
Call Number: ebook
Publication Date: 2011
Today, computers fulfil a dazzling array of roles, a flexibility resulting from the great range of programs that can be run on them.

History of Computing Websites

Charles Babbage Institute | Center for the History of Information Technology at the University of Minnesota
The Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) is an archives and research center dedicated to preserving the history of information technology and promoting and conducting research in the field
Company History: 1976-2004 | Apple
The Company History section is no longer actively maintained, though it is accurate through 2004. For a more detailed (and current) history of the company, can be found at Wikipedia
History of Computing | George Mason University
Categories: Computing Milestones & Machine Evolution, Pioneer Computer Scientists, The Birth of the Internet, The Birth of the WWW, and Some of the Many Women Pioneers in Computing
IBM Archives: Valuable Resources on IBM's History
The IBM Archives documents the evolution and accomplishments of one of the world's most influential technology companies
Online Computer History Exhibits | Computer History Museum
Online Exhibits: Revolution, Hall of Fellows, Internet History 1962 to 1992, Mastering the Game, Microprocessors 1971 to 1996, PDP-1 Restoration Project, Selling the Computer Revolution, The Babbage Engine, The Silicon Engine, The Storage Engine, This Day in History, Timeline of Computer History 1933 to Present, and Visible Storage
The Ada Project (TAP) at Carnegie Mellon University
Pioneering women in computing technology
The Video Game Revolution: History of Gaming | PBS
Over the past 30 years, video games have become an integral part of our culture, and the video game industry has become a multi-billion dollar behemoth. Follow the journey of video games from university laboratories to our living rooms.
Timeline of our History | HP
From its origins in a Palo Alto garage to its current position as one of the world's leading technology companies, HP has grown and evolved significantly since its founding in 1939. See key milestones and moments from HP's history.