Technology and Invention

Inventors, engineers and creators of technologies that transformed society.

13articles

Retrato editorial de Alan Turing cercado por fita binária, diagramas de estados, anotações matemáticas e uma sequência visual de máquinas históricas de computação.

Technology and Invention13/09/20268 min read

Did Alan Turing invent the computer? What the 1936 universal machine really was — 90 years later

Turing did not single-handedly build the first computer: in 1936 he formalized computation and the universal machine. See how that idea connects to Bletchley Park, ACE, ENIAC, and ...

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Representações de dois inventores do século XIX diante de um telefone antigo de madeira, conectados visualmente por ondas sonoras e aparelhos experimentais.

Technology and Invention02/09/20266 min read

Who invented the telephone? Bell, Meucci, and the criteria that change the answer

Bell is the name most often credited, but Meucci also has a documented role. See how patents, prototypes, intelligible speech, and historical recognition lead to different answers.

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Figura de Steve Jobs vista de costas entre um laboratório com workstation gráfica dos anos 1970 e computadores pessoais dos anos 1980, ligados por um fluxo visual de ideias.

Technology and Invention01/09/20268 min read

Did Steve Jobs “steal” Xerox’s graphical interface? What the PARC visit really changed in Lisa and Macintosh

Apple’s visit to Xerox PARC decisively influenced its GUI direction, but it did not create Lisa and Macintosh from scratch. The chronology shows prior work, real borrowing, and App...

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Máquinas computacionais dos anos 1940 lado a lado: um sistema inspirado no Colossus com fita perfurada e outro no ENIAC com painéis e cabos.

Technology and Invention01/09/20267 min read

Colossus or ENIAC: which was the first computer? Why the answer changes with the criterion

Colossus came before ENIAC, but it was not general-purpose. See how electronic, digital, programmable, general-purpose, and stored-program criteria change the answer.

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Retrato estilizado de Ada Lovelace ao lado de uma Máquina Analítica de latão, com fórmulas em um quadro e cartões históricos de cálculo no primeiro plano.

Technology and Invention31/08/20268 min read

Was Ada Lovelace really the first programmer? What Note G proves — and what Babbage had programmed earlier

Ada Lovelace’s reputation depends on what we mean by “first program.” Note G contains a detailed published algorithm for the Analytical Engine, but Charles Babbage’s papers preserv...

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Ilustração editorial de Grace Hopper em uniforme naval ao lado de um computador de relés, com logbook aberto e uma mariposa presa por fita.

Technology and Invention28/08/20268 min read

Did Grace Hopper invent the term “bug”? What the Mark II moth and the 1947 logbook actually prove

The moth found in the Harvard Mark II in 1947 became a computing symbol, but the term “bug” already existed. The logbook helps separate fact, joke, and later attributions.

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Composição editorial com uma mulher em estilo dos anos 1940 e um homem de terno diante de equipamentos de rádio, esquemas técnicos e ondas que levam a roteador e dispositivos sem fio.

Technology and Invention16/08/20268 min read

Did Hedy Lamarr invent Wi-Fi? What She and George Antheil Really Created

Lamarr and Antheil patented a frequency hopping system against interference. The connection to Wi-Fi is real, but much more specific than the myth suggests.

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Ilustração editorial histórica com três inventores, torres e antenas, ondas azuis, esquemas de patente e aparelhos antigos de telegrafia e telefonia sem fio.

Technology and Invention15/08/20269 min read

Who invented radio? Marconi, Tesla or Landell de Moura: why the answer changes depending on the criteria

Marconi, Tesla and Landell de Moura receive credit for different achievements. The answer changes when the criteria is telegraphy, voice, patent, demonstration or implementation.

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Computador de orientação do módulo lunar Apollo 11 em destaque durante a descida, com instrumentos da cabine ao fundo.

Technology and Invention08/08/202610 min read

Apollo 11 Alarms 1201 and 1202: What the Computer, Software and Houston Did on Landing

Alarms 1201 and 1202 did not indicate total failure: Apollo 11's computer was overloaded, restarted tasks and kept the landing under control.

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Wright Flyer de 1903 e 14-bis de Santos-Dumont em composição comparativa sobre os pioneiros da aviação

Technology and Invention08/08/20266 min read

Who invented the airplane? Santos-Dumont, Wright brothers and why the answer depends on the criteria

The answer changes depending on the criteria: the Wrights flew in 1903; Santos-Dumont made a public, autonomous and officially recognized flight in Paris in 1906.

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Estação de trabalho no CERN representando os primeiros servidores e documentos interligados da World Wide Web.

Technology and Invention07/08/20268 min read

35 years of the public announcement of the Web: Berners-Lee, Cailliau and CERN in the expansion of the WWW

35 years ago, Tim Berners-Lee introduced the Web to the Internet public. The story began at CERN and gained scale with collaboration, open software and new browsers.

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Neil Armstrong em traje de piloto diante do avião experimental X-15 em uma base de testes no deserto da Califórnia

Technology and Invention03/08/202611 min read

Neil Armstrong before the Moon: the engineer and test pilot behind the first step

Before commanding Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong brought together engineering, combat, research flight and critical decisions that shaped his role in space.

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