by Ricky Ribeiro
His impact on technology:
Englebart is most well-known for being an inventor of the computer mouse. The mouse made its debut at the 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference during what’s referred to as “the mother of all demos.”
His impact on technology:
If you enjoy the sweet wireless signals on your smartphone or tablet, you can thank Abramson for his contributions in launching ALOHAnet, the first wireless local area network.
His impact on technology:
The phrase “work from home” would’ve sounded strange back in the 1950s, but Nilles was prescient back in the ‘70s when he championed the then-revolutionary idea of telework.
His impact on technology:
As the man who’s credited with inventing the cell phone, it’s difficult to overstate the impact of Cooper’s invention. Not only has it provided convenience, for many companies its an essential productivity tool.
His impact on technology:
Mario and Nintendo are almost synonymous with the term “video games,” but Lawson actually pioneered the cartridge-based system with the Fairchild Channel F. Nintendo later adopted cartridges and thrived on the back of his innovation.
His impact on technology:
Email is one of the foundational elements of the internet. Borenstein didn’t invent the email, however, he did invent the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) which is how we send attachments.
His impact on technology:
As ground-breaking as the internet’s invention was, if it’d remained at dial-up speeds, it wouldn’t have reached its full potential. Metcalfe helped pioneer the broadband era when he filed for the Ethernet patent in 1975.
His impact on technology:
The average non-IT person doesn’t know this, but the internet and the world wide web aren’t the same thing. Berners-Lee invented the WWW, which is what most think of when they think of the internet.
His impact on technology:
Spinning-disk drives are full of limitations in terms of processing speed and stability. Dr. Fujio Masuoka, who was working for Toshiba at the time, revolutionized storage by creating NOR flash memory in 1984.
His impact on technology:
Consumers often think of Windows when it comes to OSes, but true tech enthusiasts have long worshipped at the altar of UNIX, which Thompson had a large hand in developing back in the early ‘70s.