The 1960s witnessed some of the world's most significant technological, cultural, and social changes. Events like JFK becoming president, the Berlin Wall being built, and Russia winning the space race are just some of the many advancements that came from the decade.
The '60s changed the face of history for the better with the release of the first video game console, the invention of the computer mouse, and much more. If you want to find out what technological developments came from the decade, then read on!
The Mother Of All Game Consoles
The gaming industry is thriving today with some releases earning more than music and movies. However, not all gamers realize they have the '60s to thank for the existence of their favorite gaming console. Ralph Baer introduced the concept in 1966, and by 1968, he’d finished the very first gaming console in the world.
The Mother Of All Gaming Consoles: This unassuming brown box that you see above may not look like much, but it revolutionized the thriving industry that we know today.
Fans all over the world call it the Brown Box, but its official name was the Magnavox Odyssey. It was first sold in stores in 1972, and became an instant hit!
Introducing The First-Of-Its-Kind Computer Mouse
The invention of the computer mouse in 1964 forever changed the way people used computers. Douglas Engelbart was able to make one using two gear-wheels capable of moving in different directions on one axis. After finalizing the product (originally made with wood) Engelbart immediate filed for the item's patent under the name “X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System.”
First-Of-Its-Kind Mouse: The photo above shows Douglas Engelbart holding his invention. Little did he know that his creation would become an indispensable piece of everyday technological equipment.
Douglas Engelbert was way ahead of his time, which was evident in the 90-minute video he recorded to show a demo of how the computer mouse worked. Released in 1968, Engelbert mentioned concepts about personal computers and social networking way before they were even possible. He also claimed that he was not sure why his invention was called a mouse.
The First LED
HJ Round first reported Light-emitting solid-state diodes in the year 1907, but it wasn't until 1962 that it became a reality thanks to Nick Holonyak Junior. Working at a General Electric Company, the “Father of the light-emitting diode” was able to create the first practical visible-spectrum LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). Back then, the LEDs were red and couldn't light up a room the way they can now.
Discovering LED: The photo above replicates the experiments conducted by the late HJ Round after identifying the factors that contribute to Light Emitting Diodes.
The invention sparked a technological advancement in 1972 that produced brighter LEDs with colors ranging between yellow, red, and red-orange. This was made possible by none other than Holonyak's student, M George Craford.
The Invention Of DRAM
Robert Dennard didn't discover RAM, but he modified and redesigned it to become an arguably better version of itself: DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). His invention functioned more efficiently and took up less space, making computers faster and more compact.
The First RAM: Here, you can see two original designs of DRAM as it was patented and developed in 1968 by Robert Dennard.
Dennard's invention was a giant leap forward for technology. The creation of DRAM meant that the industry had a chip that could hold more than a billion RAM cells.
The Original Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (aka LASER)
Theodore Maiman completed the Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (better known as “LASER”) in 1960. After its release, it was introduced in everything from bar code readers and measurement devices to medical procedures. Lasers have become such an essential part of a society that you may be shocked to learn that they almost didn't make it! While others were losing interest in the subject, thankfully, Maiman was determined to make lasers happen.
Sharp as a laser: Theodore Maiman's work on the laser didn't only lead to groundbreaking technological advancements, it also created stunning beauty.
Thanks to Maiman's unwavering ambition, and support from the one assistant who stuck by him, he was able to fire the first laser in 1960.
The First-Ever UNIX
UNIX would go on to be one of the most potent and famous operating systems of the decade. AT&T employees Dennis Ritchie, Ken Thompson, Douglas Mcllroy, Brian Kernighan, and Joe Ossana created it at Bell Labs. They sat down for months developing UNIX on the PDP-7. The name of the O.S. came from MULTICS, a project used by several large companies like Bell Labs that had failed miserably in living up to its expectations.
UNIX: Here's an image that depicts the progression of the UNIX operating system from 1969 to 2008.
Members of the UNIX project now spend their free time working on a system that's pretty much like the MULTICS one, but on a much smaller scale. Today, UNIX is a success story that people often bring up in open source platform conversations.