The Development Of Modern Technology

Timeline Summary of the Development of Modern Technology

From Ancient to Modern Innovations

This timeline highlights the significant milestones that have defined the evolution of modern technology, from the earliest tools to the digital and AI-driven world of today. Each leap has profoundly changed how humans live, work, and connect.

Ancient to Early Modern Innovations

3.3 million years ago

First tools crafted by early humans.

3.3 million years ago
1 million years ago

Mastery of fire

1 million years ago
6000 BCE

Irrigation systems developed for agriculture

6000 BCE
4000 BCE

Sailing technology emerges

4000 BCE
1200 BCE

Iron smelting begins, ushering in the Iron Age

1200 BCE
1250–1300

First mechanical clocks appear in Europe

1250–1300

Printing and the Industrial Revolution

1455

Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionises information sharing with movable type

1455
1765

James Watt improves the steam engine, powering the Industrial Revolution

1765
1804

First railway locomotive by Richard Trevithick

1804
1807

Robert Fulton’s steamboat demonstrates steam-powered water travel

1807

19th Century: Communication and Power

1876

Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, transforming real-time communication

1876
1879

Thomas Edison invents the electric light bulb, enabling widespread electric lighting

1879
1886

Karl Benz invents the first automobile, revolutionising transportation

1886

20th Century: Mass Media and Computing

Early 1900s

Radio brings global news and entertainment into homes

Early 1900s
1928

First television broadcast, changing how people consume news and entertainment

1928
1945

ENIAC, the first modern computer, marks the start of the computer age

1945
1957

Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, launches the space age

1957
1960

First laser developed by Theodore Maiman

1960
1964

IBM releases the OS/360, the first mass-produced computer operating system

1964
1965

Gordon Moore formulates Moore’s Law, predicting rapid growth in computing power

1965
1969

Apollo 11 lands humans on the Moon

1969

Late 20th Century: Digital Revolution

1970

Optical fibre developed, transforming global communications

1970
1974

TCP/IP protocol created, laying the foundation for the Internet

1974
1977

Personal computers (Apple II, TRS-80, Commodore PET) make computing accessible at home

1977
1983

Invention of the Internet as a global network

1983
1990

The Internet becomes publicly available, sparking the digital era

1990

21st Century: Mobile, Biotech, and AI

2007

Apple releases the iPhone, popularising smartphones with touchscreens

2007
2012

CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology developed, revolutionising biotechnology

2012
Recent decades

Artificial intelligence advances, enabling machines to learn and make decisions

Recent decades
2020’s

Generative AI and digital transformation reshape business and society

2020’s
1990

The Internet becomes publicly available, sparking the digital era

1990