Comparing Timelines
Exploring the overlapping histories of "List of tallest buildings" and "History of computing".
List of tallest buildings
-2580 - 2030
History of computing
-2300 - 1999
2580 BCE
Great Pyramid of Giza Completed
The Great Pyramid of Giza was completed in Egypt, becoming the world's tallest man-made structure. This ancient wonder held the record for over 3,800 years, demonstrating the remarkable engineering capabilities of ancient civilizations. The pyramid's construction marked a pinnacle of ancient architectural achievement that would not be surpassed until medieval times.
2300 BCE
Sumerian Abacus Invented
The earliest known tool used for computation, the Sumerian abacus, was invented in Babylon. Its original style of usage involved lines drawn in sand with pebbles, representing the first systematic approach to mechanical calculation.
771 BCE
South-Pointing Chariot Invented
Ancient China invented the south-pointing chariot, the first known geared mechanism to use a differential gear. This mechanical innovation would later become crucial in the development of analog computers.
150 BCE
Chinese Abacus Development
The Chinese developed a more sophisticated abacus around the 2nd century BC, improving upon the earlier Sumerian design. This tool became fundamental to mathematical computation in East Asia for centuries.
100 BCE
Antikythera Mechanism Created
The Antikythera mechanism was designed to calculate astronomical positions, believed to be the earliest known geared computing device. Discovered in 1901 in a Greek shipwreck, it demonstrates sophisticated ancient engineering.
1311 CE
Lincoln Cathedral Becomes World's Tallest Structure
Lincoln Cathedral in England was completed, surpassing the Great Pyramid of Giza to become the world's tallest man-made structure. This marked the end of the pyramid's 3,800-year reign as the tallest structure. The cathedral represented the height of medieval Gothic architecture and engineering prowess.
1439 CE
Strasbourg Cathedral Completed
The Strasbourg Cathedral in France was completed, becoming the world's tallest building. This Gothic masterpiece held the title of world's tallest structure until 1874, representing the pinnacle of medieval cathedral construction. The cathedral's spire demonstrated advanced engineering techniques of the medieval period.
1874 CE
Strasbourg Cathedral's Height Record Ends
The Strasbourg Cathedral's reign as the world's tallest building came to an end after 435 years. This marked the transition from medieval cathedral architecture to the modern era of tall building construction, paving the way for the development of skyscrapers in the following decades.
1885 CE
Home Insurance Building - First Skyscraper
The Home Insurance Building was constructed in Chicago, widely considered to be the first true skyscraper. This 10-story building introduced steel-frame construction techniques that would revolutionize tall building design. The building marked the beginning of the skyscraper era and established Chicago as a center of architectural innovation.
1886 CE
Charles Sanders Peirce Describes Electrical Logic
In a letter, Charles Sanders Peirce described how logical operations could be carried out by electrical switching circuits. He also showed that NOR gates alone could reproduce the functions of all other logic gates, laying groundwork for digital logic.
1907 CE
Lee De Forest's Vacuum Tube Logic Gate
Lee De Forest's modification of the Fleming valve could be used as a logic gate, representing an early step toward electronic computing. This advancement would eventually lead to vacuum tube computers.
1924 CE
First Electronic AND Gate
Walther Bothe invented the first modern electronic AND gate, a fundamental component of digital logic. This innovation earned him part of the 1954 Nobel Prize in physics for his contributions to electronic circuits.
1931 CE
Empire State Building Completed
The Empire State Building was completed in New York City, becoming the world's tallest building at 381 meters. This Art Deco masterpiece became an iconic symbol of American achievement and held the world height record for 41 years. The building's rapid construction during the Great Depression demonstrated American engineering prowess and determination.
Empire State Building
The iconic Empire State Building in New York City
Digital Electronics for Computing Proposed
C. E. Wynn-Williams published 'The Use of Thyratrons for High Speed Automatic Counting of Physical Phenomena,' the first recorded idea of using digital electronics for computing, marking a conceptual breakthrough.
1936 CE
Switching Circuit Theory Published
NEC engineer Akira Nakashima, Claude Shannon, and Victor Shestakov published papers introducing switching circuit theory, using digital electronics for Boolean algebraic operations. This work became fundamental to digital computer design.
Alan Turing's 'On Computable Numbers' Published
Alan Turing published his seminal paper 'On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem,' introducing the concept of the Universal Turing machine and establishing theoretical foundations for computation.
1939 CE
First Digital Electronic Computer Developed
Arthur Halsey Dickinson developed the first digital electronic computer at IBM Patent Department in Endicott, New York. This computer featured a keyboard, processor, and electronic output display, establishing key components of modern computers.
Atanasoff-Berry Computer Completed
John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry completed their experimental model of the Atanasoff-Berry computer (ABC), the first binary digital electronic computing device. Though not programmable, it executed addition and subtraction in binary code.
1941 CE
Z3 Computer Built
German inventor Konrad Zuse built the Z3 computer, the first programmable, fully automatic computing machine. Though not electronic, it demonstrated the feasibility of programmable computation and influenced future computer development.
1946 CE
ENIAC Announced
The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) was announced to the public as the first electronic general-purpose computer. It was Turing-complete, digital, and capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing problems.
1947 CE
Transistor Invented
William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain at Bell Labs invented the first working transistor, the point-contact transistor. This revolutionary device would eventually replace vacuum tubes and enable miniaturization of computers.
1948 CE
Manchester Baby First Program Run
The Manchester Baby, the first electronic stored-program computer, ran its first program. Built at Victoria University of Manchester by Frederic C. Williams, Tom Kilburn and Geoff Tootill, it demonstrated the stored-program concept.
1950 CE
First Computerized Weather Forecast
The first computerized weather forecast was performed by a team including American meteorologists Jule Charney, Philip Duncan Thompson, Larry Gates, Norwegian meteorologist Ragnar Fjørtoft, and mathematician John von Neumann using ENIAC.
1953 CE
First Transistorized Computer Built
At the University of Manchester, a team under Tom Kilburn designed and built the first transistorized computer, called the Transistor Computer. This machine used newly developed transistors instead of vacuum tubes, marking a major technological shift.
1964 CE
CDC 6600 Supercomputer Built
The Control Data Corporation (CDC) 6600, built by Seymour Cray, became the first widely acknowledged supercomputer. With a maximum speed of 40 MHz and 3 million FLOPS, it established the foundation for high-performance computing.
1968 CE
Silicon-Gate MOS Integrated Circuit Developed
Federico Faggin at Fairchild Semiconductor developed the silicon-gate MOS integrated circuit. This breakthrough technology enabled the creation of high-density integrated circuits and led directly to the development of microprocessors.
1970 CE
Intel 4004 Microprocessor Developed
The Intel 4004, the first single-chip microprocessor, was developed by Intel's Federico Faggin, Marcian Hoff, and Stanley Mazor, along with Busicom's Masatoshi Shima. This innovation launched the microcomputer revolution.
1974 CE
Willis Tower (Sears Tower) Completed
The Willis Tower (originally Sears Tower) was completed in Chicago, becoming the world's tallest building at 442 meters. This modernist skyscraper held the world height record for 24 years and established new standards for office building design. The tower's bundled tube structural system was an innovative engineering solution that influenced future skyscraper design.
Willis Tower
The Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in Chicago
1976 CE
First 16-bit Microprocessor Released
Texas Instruments released the TMS9900 processor, the first fully 16-bit microprocessor. They used this advanced processor in the TI-99/4 and TI-99/4A computers, demonstrating increased processing capabilities.
1983 CE
Apple Lisa Released
Apple released the Lisa, one of the first personal computers with a graphical user interface (GUI) sold commercially. Running on the Motorola 68000 CPU with 1MB of RAM and dual floppy drives, it pioneered user-friendly computing interfaces.
1989 CE
Macintosh Portable Released
Apple released the Macintosh Portable, weighing 16 pounds and costing $7,300. Despite being one of the most powerful laptops available at launch, its high price and weight led to poor sales and discontinuation after two years.
1996 CE
Council on Vertical Urbanism Establishes Building Categories
The Council on Vertical Urbanism established four categories for measuring building height in response to disputes over whether the Petronas Towers or Sears Tower was taller. These categories included height to structural top, highest occupied floor, roof, and any part of the building. This standardization helped resolve architectural height disputes and established clear criteria for determining the world's tallest buildings.
1998 CE
Petronas Towers Completed
The Petronas Towers were completed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, becoming the world's tallest buildings at 452 meters. These twin towers marked the first time since 1931 that the world's tallest building was located outside the United States. The towers' Islamic-inspired design and innovative structural system represented a new era of international skyscraper construction.
Petronas Towers
The iconic twin Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur
First Linux Supercomputer Built
David Bader developed the first Linux supercomputer using commodity parts at the University of New Mexico. The prototype used eight dual 333 MHz Intel Pentium II computers, leading to the development of 'RoadRunner' for national scientific use.
1999 CE
RoadRunner Supercomputer Deployed
RoadRunner, the first Linux supercomputer for open use by the national science and engineering community, was put into production use. At deployment, it was considered one of the 100 fastest supercomputers in the world.
2004 CE
TAIPEI 101 Completed
TAIPEI 101 was completed in Taipei, Taiwan, becoming the world's tallest building at 508 meters. This postmodern skyscraper incorporated traditional Chinese architectural elements and advanced engineering to withstand earthquakes and typhoons. The building held the world height record for five years and demonstrated Taiwan's emergence as a major economic power.
TAIPEI 101
TAIPEI 101 tower in Taipei, Taiwan
2010 CE
Burj Khalifa Completed
The Burj Khalifa was completed in Dubai, UAE, becoming the world's tallest building at 828 meters. This neo-futuristic skyscraper shattered all previous height records and established Dubai as a global architectural destination. The building's innovative design and construction techniques set new standards for supertall skyscrapers and marked the beginning of the Middle East's skyscraper boom.
Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest building since 2009
2014 CE
One World Trade Center Completed
One World Trade Center was completed in New York City, becoming the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at 541 meters. Built on the site of the original World Trade Center, this building served as both a memorial and symbol of resilience following the September 11 attacks. The tower's completion marked a significant moment in New York's recovery and rebuilding efforts.
One World Trade Center
One World Trade Center in New York City
2015 CE
Shanghai Tower Completed
Shanghai Tower was completed in Shanghai, China, becoming the world's second-tallest building at 632 meters. This twisted supertall skyscraper incorporated advanced sustainable design features and became the tallest building in East Asia. The tower's innovative spiral design and mixed-use programming established new standards for sustainable skyscraper construction.
Shanghai Tower
Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, China
2024 CE
Merdeka 118 Completed
Merdeka 118 was completed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, becoming the world's second-tallest building at 679 meters. This mixed-use supertall skyscraper features a distinctive crystalline crown and represents Malaysia's continued investment in iconic architecture. The tower's completion reinforced Southeast Asia's position as a major center for skyscraper construction.
Merdeka 118
Merdeka 118 tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia