"Information Technology" (IT), as used by the IT History Society, encompasses the full spectrum of devices, systems, methods, and disciplines developed to acquire, store, process, transmit, and interact with information in all its forms.
Historical Range
The Society's scope traces back to the ancient history of counting, calculation, and data storage devices. It encompasses the work of early pioneers in computation and logic, from calculation devices and programmed looms, through the electromechanical and vacuum-tube eras, storage on paper and magnetic media, the rise of integrated circuits, and into the networked, optical, quantum, and AI-driven systems of today.
Curation Policy
The Society's database does not aim to catalog every modern device, program, practitioner, or enterprise that uses information technology. When reviewing vintage historical items, the Society is broadly inclusive. We believe there is value in contrasting the items which were more or less successful, and their timelines. Contemporary entries are reserved for those making demonstrable impact on the trajectory of the field. The database is not intended to serve as a comprehensive directory of businesses or individuals.
Cultural Terminology
The field described here is known by many names across regions, industries, and eras, including Computer Science (CS), Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Management Information Systems (MIS), and others. The professionals in these fields have likewise carried many titles over the decades. The Society uses "Information Technology" in its broadest sense and does not intend the term to privilege or exclude any single specialty, region, or era.
