In the decade of all things “groovy,” modern technology was advancing at lightning speed. Here are the most important innovations of the 1970s.
In 1971, Intel released the first programmable microprocessor to the market, the Intel 4004. Three of its inventors, Stanley Mazor, Federico Faggin, and Ted Hoff, were awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by US President Barack Obama for working on the 4004.
Commonly referred to as an 80s invention, the Sony Walkman was actually first marketed in 1979. The name Walkman became synonymous with portable tape players and the brand is now used to market Sony’s line of MP3 players.
The programming language C first appeared in the early 1970s. The creation of C is often credited to Dennis Ritchie and his work at AT&T Bell Labs.
In 1977, the Tandy Corporation launched the TRS-80 through RadioShack stores. The TRS-80 became one of the best-selling computer product lines of its time.
Atari was founded in 1972, but the release of the Atari 2600 put both the company and console gaming on the map. The 2600 was originally called the Atari VCS (Video Computer System).
Two of NASA’s robotic probes, the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, launched in 1977. The probes originally collected valuable data on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and they are still in use today.
Conner is a former Senior Editor for TechRepublic. He is now a Senior Research Analyst at 451 Research.
