Computer history - 1600s

Updated: 09/12/2023 by Computer Hope

Listed below are the important events in history relating to computers in the 1600s.

1600

William Gilbert coined the term electricity from the Greek word elecktra.

The Microsoft Windows epoch time was set to start on January 1, 1601.

1605

Francis Bacon devices the Baconian Cipher, a cipher that used A's and B's to encode messages.

1613

The word "computer" was first used in 1613 and originally described a person who performed calculations or computations. The definition of a computer remained the same until the end of the 19th century when it began referring to a calculating machine.

Claude Perrault was born on September 25, 1613.

1614

John Napier illustrated and put forward the idea of logarithms.

1617

John Napier introduced "Napier's Bones," a device made from a horn (bone or ivory). The device allowed multiplying by adding numbers and dividing by subtracting.

Tito Burattini was born on March 8, 1617.

John Napier passed away on April 4, 1617 (Age: 66-67).

1621

The circular slide rule was invented by William Oughtred.

1623

Blaise Pascal

Blaise Pascal was born on June 19, 1623.

The first known workable mechanical calculating machine was invented by Germany's Wilhelm Schickard. The machine was based on the idea of Napier's Bones, mentioned earlier.

1625

Samuel Morland

Samuel Morland was born in 1625.

1626

Francis Bacon passed away on April 9, 1626 (Age: 65).

Edmund Gunter passed away on December 10, 1626 (Age: 45).

1630

Henry Briggs passed away on January 26, 1630 (Age: 68).

Johannes Kepler passed away on November 15, 1630 (Age: 58).

1632

William Oughtred of Cambridge combines two Gunter rules to make a device that resembles today's slide rule.

1635

Robert Hooke was born on July 28, 1635.

Wilhelm Schickard passed away on October 24, 1635 (Age: 43).

1642

Frances Blaise Pascal invented a machine called the Pascaline that adds, subtracts, and carries between digits.

Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton was born on December 25, 1642.

1646

Gottfried Leibniz was born on July 1, 1646.

1650

René Descartes passed away on February 11, 1650 (Age: 53).

1662

Blaise Pascal passed away on August 19, 1662 (Age: 39).

1671

Gottfried Leibniz introduced the Step Reckoner, a device that multiplies, divides, and evaluates square roots.

1679

Gottfried Leibniz demonstrated binary arithmetic, a discovery that shows every number can be represented by 0 and 1 only.

1681

Tito Livio Burattini passed away on November 17, 1681 (Age: 64).

1688

Claude Perrault passed away in 1688 (Age: 75).

1695

Samuel Morland passed away on December 30, 1695 (Age: 70).

« 1500s - Computer History - 1700s »