History Day

Items

• 75 Years of Human-Computer Interaction and its Impact on Society
  Our report From Punch Cards to Brain Computer Interfaces: 75 Years of Human-Computer Interaction describes how HCI evolved from the early years of computing in the 1950s, when the subject was dominated by a small number of mainframes, to today’s world where we talk about Graphical User Interfaces and interactive displays used by billions of people.
• Eight thought leaders give their views on where AI is taking us
  Against a backdrop of growing concern (and excitement) our industry theme for May 2023, is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and we have been exploring our archives to find out what interviewees have had to say about the technology from their careers and experience from 1960s to the present day.
• From bricks to bendables: 40 years of Mobile Phones
  It’s been 40 years since the first mobile phones went on sale in the UK and the first networks to support them were built, and in the words of Ben Wood, founder of the Mobile Phone Museum and Chief Analyst at CCS Insight: “No other invention in recent memory has shaped how we live more fundamentally than the mobile phone.”
• From Microbes to Matrons: The Hidden History of Hospital Infection Control:
  This exhibition explores the history of hospital infection and ways in which hospital staff attempted to tackle it.
• From woodcut to photograph: techniques of book illustration:
  This exhibition explores the history of the development of illustrative techniques from woodcuts through to photographs.
• Full steam ahead! Celebrating Railway 200 across the Archives
  To celebrate Rail 200, Archives Hub explores a fascinating range of archives relating to railways, train travel and more – all board!
• History from an Era of Illustrated News
  A handpicked selection of 80+ articles from the archives of The Illustrated London News, The Illustrated War News, The Graphic & The Sphere spanning royal, society and military history.
• Imperial designs: technology and empire in the 19th century
  This exhibition covers the period when Britain experienced the peak of her imperial and industrial power. In the years 1815 to 1870 she was undoubtedly the ‘workshop of the world’, and there was no rival posing both a military and an economic threat.
• Professor Sir Charles Wheatstone:
  This exhibition covers Professor Sir Charles Wheatstone’s life and work as a scientist, inventor and businessman, including his involvement in the invention of telegraphy and the stereoscope.
• Stories of the Internet from the pioneers who made it happen
  Looking through our archive we can map many of the internet’s significant developments from initial ideas to tests as well as its commercialisation, initial uses and benefits and risks to society. Pioneers Vint Cerf, Peter Kirstein and Jim Norton have all been recorded by AIT about their work on packet switching and the emergence of the internet and A Michael Noll on its commercialisation. We also have interviews with internet entrepreneur Eva Pascoe, who encapsulates the pioneering spirit of the first internet teachers and users and with Professor Bill Dutton, who was the founding director of the Oxford Internet Institute, a research centre focusing on the societal opportunities and challenges posed by the internet.
• The History of IT – A Timeline
  Significant Events in the history of IT and Tech in the UK
• The Met Office and supercomputers: a timeline
  The Meteorological Office, or Met Office for short, was established in 1854 and issued its first storm warning in 1861. Today it is known as the United Kingdom’s national meteorological service and is at the forefront of critical weather services and world-leading climate science.
• The printed page
  This exhibition explores the development of the printing press and printing techniques.
• The Story of STEM at De Montfort University: 1884-Present
  In this online course we share here how a small technical college evolved to become thriving Faculties of Health and Life Sciences (HLS) and Computing, Engineering and Media (CEM).
• View Everyday Technology Firsts (#TechFirsts) from the collections
  Share your memories, pictures and stories of how new technology has transformed people’s lives on this Padlet or on Twitter, using hashtag #TechFirsts.