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The History of Computers
Contributed by: Squires
  • 1. The history of computers dates back to ancient times when humans developed devices to aid in calculations and data processing. Early mechanical devices like the abacus and ancient calculators paved the way for the digital computers we use today. Major milestones in computer history include the invention of the first programmable digital computer by Charles Babbage in the 19th century, the development of electronic computers during World War II, and the advancement of personal computers in the late 20th century. With each advancement, computers have become smaller, faster, and more powerful, revolutionizing industries such as business, science, and entertainment. Today, computers are essential tools in modern society, shaping the way we work, communicate, and live our daily lives.

    Who is considered to be the father of computing?
A) Steve Jobs
B) Bill Gates
C) Charles Babbage
D) Alan Turing
  • 2. In what year was the first mechanical computer, the Analytical Engine, designed by Charles Babbage?
A) 1901
B) 2000
C) 1837
D) 1950
  • 3. Which computer is often regarded as the first electronic general-purpose computer?
A) Apple I
B) Commodore 64
C) ENIAC
D) IBM 5150
  • 4. What does 'CPU' stand for?
A) Central Program Unit
B) Central Processing Unit
C) Computer Processing Unit
D) Central Power Unit
  • 5. Who invented the World Wide Web?
A) Tim Berners-Lee
B) Bill Gates
C) Mark Zuckerberg
D) Steve Jobs
  • 6. Which company introduced the first personal computer, the Altair 8800, in 1975?
A) Microsoft
B) MITS
C) Intel
D) Apple
  • 7. What year was the first Apple Macintosh computer released?
A) 2010
B) 1990
C) 2000
D) 1984
  • 8. What was the name of the first high-level programming language, developed in 1957 by IBM?
A) BASIC
B) Fortran
C) Cobol
D) Pascal
  • 9. Which computer pioneer coined the term 'bug' in reference to a computer glitch?
A) John Atanasoff
B) Alan Turing
C) Grace Hopper
D) Ada Lovelace
  • 10. In what year was the first microprocessor, the Intel 4004, introduced?
A) 1971
B) 1960
C) 1990
D) 1980
  • 11. Which operating system was developed by Microsoft and released in 1985?
A) Linux
B) Mac OS
C) Unix
D) Windows 1.0
  • 12. Who is known as the inventor of the computer mouse?
A) Steve Jobs
B) Alan Turing
C) Douglas Engelbart
D) Bill Gates
  • 13. What was the name of the first commercially successful personal computer, released in 1977?
A) TRS-80
B) Apple II
C) IBM PC
D) Commodore PET
  • 14. What was the first commercially successful video game, released in 1972?
A) Pac-Man
B) Donkey Kong
C) Space Invaders
D) Pong
  • 15. Who co-founded Apple Inc. with Steve Jobs?
A) Steve Wozniak
B) Tim Cook
C) Bill Gates
D) Mark Zuckerberg
  • 16. What was the name of the first portable computer, introduced by IBM in 1981?
A) Compaq Portable
B) Osborne 1
C) Macintosh Portable
D) IBM 5155
  • 17. Which computer scientist is credited with developing the concept of artificial intelligence?
A) Herbert Simon
B) Marvin Minsky
C) John McCarthy
D) Alan Turing
  • 18. In what year did IBM launch the first PC, the IBM 5150?
A) 1975
B) 2000
C) 1990
D) 1981
  • 19. Which computer company was founded by a group of former Fairchild Semiconductor employees in 1968?
A) Intel
B) Apple
C) HP
D) Microsoft
  • 20. What does RAM stand for in computing?
A) Random Access Memory
B) Raw Audio Music
C) Read-Only Memory
D) Run-And-Manage
  • 21. What was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a graphical user interface?
A) Xerox Alto
B) Apple Lisa
C) IBM PC
D) Macintosh
  • 22. Which company introduced the first smartphone with a touchscreen and no physical keyboard?
A) BlackBerry
B) Apple
C) Nokia
D) Samsung
  • 23. What was the name of the first personal computer?
A) Altair 8800
B) Apple I
C) IBM PC
D) Commodore PET
  • 24. What does the acronym HTML stand for in the context of computing?
A) HyperText Markup Language
B) Home Tool Markup Language
C) Highly Technical Machine Language
D) Hyperlink and Text Management Language
  • 25. What technology replaced the CRT monitors in most modern computers?
A) OLED
B) Plasma
C) LED
D) LCD
  • 26. Which programming language was developed by Sun Microsystems in the 1990s?
A) Ruby
B) Java
C) C++
D) Python
  • 27. What term is used to describe the physical components of a computer system?
A) Software
B) Malware
C) Firmware
D) Hardware
  • 28. Which computer scientist is known for the Turing Test to determine artificial intelligence?
A) Grace Hopper
B) Charles Babbage
C) John von Neumann
D) Alan Turing
  • 29. What year was the World Wide Web proposed by Tim Berners-Lee?
A) 2009
B) 1989
C) 1979
D) 1999
  • 30. What programming language is often associated with artificial intelligence and neural networks?
A) Ruby
B) Java
C) C++
D) Python
  • 31. Who is known for the phrase '640Kought to be enough for anybody' regarding computer memory limits?
A) Steve Jobs
B) Larry Page
C) Tim Berners-Lee
D) Bill Gates
  • 32. What technology is used to transmit data wirelessly over short distances between devices?
A) LTE
B) NFC
C) Bluetooth
D) Wi-Fi
  • 33. Who is considered to be the first programmer in history?
A) Alan Turing
B) John von Neumann
C) Ada Lovelace
D) Grace Hopper
  • 34. When was the TCP/IP protocol suite formalized, leading to the creation of the Internet?
A) 1973
B) 1993
C) 1983
D) 2003
  • 35. What type of computer memory is non-volatile and retains data even when the power is turned off?
A) Cache
B) ROM
C) Flash
D) RAM
  • 36. What organization invented the World Wide Web in 1989?
A) NSA
B) CERN
C) CIA
D) FBI
  • 37. Which computer scientist and inventor is famous for the concept of 'Moore's Law'?
A) Gordon Moore
B) Tim Berners-Lee
C) Larry Page
D) Sergey Brin
  • 38. What was the name of the first computer virus discovered in the wild in 1986?
A) ILOVEYOU
B) Code Red
C) Brain
D) Mydoom
  • 39. Which operating system revolutionized the mobile industry when released by Apple in 2007?
A) iOS
B) Windows Mobile
C) BlackBerry OS
D) Android
  • 40. What was the name of the first widely available autonomous vacuum robot released in 2002?
A) Roomba
B) Dyson 360 Eye
C) Neato Botvac
D) Samsung Powerbot
  • 41. Which computer game, developed by IBM in 1962, was the first to use graphical sprites?
A) Tetris
B) Zork
C) Pong
D) Spacewar!
  • 42. What was the name of the first widely-used electronic spreadsheet released in 1979?
A) Excel
B) Quattro Pro
C) VisiCalc
D) Lotus 1-2-3
  • 43. What was the first successful design of the modern computer presented by John von Neumann in 1945?
A) ENIAC
B) EDVAC
C) Colossus
D) UNIVAC
  • 44. Which graphic design software, released in 1987, became the industry standard for digital artists?
A) CorelDRAW
B) Autodesk SketchBook
C) Adobe Photoshop
D) GIMP
  • 45. What was the first movie where computer-generated imagery (CGI) was used extensively in 1982?
A) Jurassic Park
B) TRON
C) The Matrix
D) Toy Story
  • 46. In what year was the first fully electronic general-purpose computer developed?
A) 1967
B) 1955
C) 1946
D) 1980
  • 47. What was the name of the first commercial computer with a graphical user interface?
A) IBM 5150
B) Compaq Portable
C) Macintosh 128k
D) Xerox Alto
  • 48. Which programming language was developed by Microsoft in the 1970s?
A) Python
B) BASIC
C) C++
D) Fortran
  • 49. Which year marked the introduction of the first smartphone?
A) 1980
B) 2005
C) 2010
D) 1992
  • 50. What is the name of the world's first computer virus?
A) ILOVEYOU
B) Melissa
C) Creeper
D) Code Red
  • 51. Which organization developed the widely-used programming language 'Java'?
A) Microsoft
B) Sun Microsystems
C) Apple
D) Google
  • 52. Where was the first successful use of a modern computer in 1945?
A) Harvard University
B) Stanford University
C) Massachusetts Institute of Technology
D) University of Pennsylvania
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