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
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