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From the Pencil to the Keypad (4:43)

WWII helped spawn one of the first electronic digital computers, but what eventually made the computer a ubiquitous device?

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Videos (6)

  • From the Pencil to the Keypad
    From the Pencil to the Keypad

    Video Clip (4:43)

    WWII helped spawn one of the first electronic digital computers, but what eventually made the computer a ubiquitous device?

    Video Clip (4:43)
  • Microchips and Computing
    Microchips and Computing

    Video Clip (5:06)

    Learn about the genesis and future of computing in this clip from "Hands on History" that begins in the garage of Bill Hewlett and David Packard and ends with a look into nanotechnology.

    Video Clip (5:06)
  • Transistors Transform Electronics
    Transistors Transform Electronics

    Video Clip (3:12)

    The tiny transistor, introduced with little fanfare in the late 1940s, triggered one of the most sweeping technological revolutions.

    Video Clip (3:12)
  • Mankind in 2 Minutes
    Mankind in 2 Minutes

    Video Clip (2:12)

    Experience the story of Mankind in 2 Minutes.

    Video Clip (2:12)
  • History Uncut: Bill Gates unveils Microsoft Excel 1987
    History Uncut: Bill Gates unveils Microsoft Excel 1987

    Video Clip (1:31)

    History Uncut The History Channel: 1987 - A young Gates, with oversized glasses that refuse to stay in place, answers questions from the press about his dazzling new software Microsoft Excel, which "really improves the quality of your output."

    Video Clip (1:31)
  • Mankind Decoded Sneak Peek
    Mankind Decoded Sneak Peek

    Video Clip (5:03)

    Check out a sneak peek of the upcoming series Mankind Decoded.

    Video Clip (5:03)

Photo Galleries (2)

Speeches & Audio (10)

  • Alexander Graham Bell's Early Recordings
    Alexander Graham Bell's Early Recordings

    Audio Clip (0:10)

    In the early 1880s, in an effort to secure a patent of his own after Thomas Edison's invention of the phonograph, Alexander Graham Bell made a number of experimental recordings using a variety of methods. New audio technology has allowed some of Bell's earliest recordings to be played without damaging the originals. In one recently recovered recording, Bell himself recites a line from "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

    Audio Clip (0:10)
  • First American Woman in Space
    First American Woman in Space

    Audio Clip (0:50)

    Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space when the shuttle Challenger takes off on June 18, 1983. The historical moment is noted in communication just after liftoff.

    Audio Clip (0:50)
  • First Space Shuttle Launched
    First Space Shuttle Launched

    Audio Clip (3:00)

    On April 12, 1981, NASA launched the world's first reusable manned spacecraft. In the minutes before takeoff, Kennedy Space Center launch control communicates with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen as they prepare to take Columbia on its first test flight into space and back.

    Audio Clip (3:00)
  • Monkeys Travel to Space
    Monkeys Travel to Space

    Audio Clip (2:00)

    On May 28, 1959, in an experiment that would lead the way to manned space flight, the United States launched two monkeys to an altitude of 300 miles. A Voice of America news report details the travels of the two primates who survived the space flight and were the first in history to return safely to Earth.

    Audio Clip (2:00)
  • Viking 1 Lands on Mars
    Viking 1 Lands on Mars

    Audio Clip (0:20)

    On July 20, 1976, NASA's Viking 1 becomes the first spacecraft to send back detailed pictures from the surface of Mars. A NASA control room recording captures the excitement of the moment.

    Audio Clip (0:20)
  • Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster
    Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster

    Audio Clip (0:31)

    On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia was returning from its 28th mission when, 16 minutes to touchdown, the shuttle incinerated and broke apart over Texas. Communication between the Columbia crew and Mission Control captures the last moments of the flight.

    Audio Clip (0:31)
  • First Telephone Call Sent Around the World
    First Telephone Call Sent Around the World

    Audio Clip (2:33)

    On April 15, 1935, in the Long Lines Building at 32 Sixth Avenue in New York City, W.S. Gifford and T.G. Miller of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company take part in a historic phone call. While they are speaking on the phone from offices just 50 feet apart, the call is transmitted over a telephone circuit that stretches approximately 23,000 miles around the world.

    Audio Clip (2:33)
  • Ford Phones Apollo Astronauts
    Ford Phones Apollo Astronauts

    Audio Clip (8:14)

    On July 17, 1975, President Gerald Ford speaks by telephone to the Apollo astronauts following their rendezvous and docking with the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. This was the first joint orbital mission between the two superpowers, and it helped pave the way for further cooperation in the exploration of space.

    Audio Clip (8:14)
  • Voyager Spacecraft 30 Years Later
    Voyager Spacecraft 30 Years Later

    Audio Clip (1:12)

    As the twin Voyager spacecraft prepare to embark on an extended mission to explore interstellar space in 2006, project scientist Ed Stone of California Institute of Technology recaps the major discoveries the Voyagers have made since their launch in 1977.

    Audio Clip (1:12)
  • George W. Bush on the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
    George W. Bush on the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster

    Audio Clip (3:15)

    On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia was 16 minutes away from touchdown after completing its 28th mission when a damaged heat protection tile caused the shuttle to incinerate, killing all seven crew members. Later that day, President George W. Bush informs the nation about the terrible disaster.

    Audio Clip (3:15)

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