A tribute to people who shaped technology

hidden heroes

Their inventions make the modern world run, but their stories remain hidden. We uncover diverse profiles of innovators who set stones to build vital solutions for the modern world.

Belgian-born computer scientist Patti Maes was inventing the core principles behind the social media age when Mark Zuckerberg was still in kindergarten. Why have her contributions been neglected?

by steven johnson

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Intelligent agent. How Pattie Maes almost invented social media

We take it for granted that decentralized networks like the Internet “just work.” But decades ago, pioneering computer scientist Radia Perlman solved a crucial problem that made those networks possible.

by steven johnson

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The Magic Box and the Spanning Tree: How Radia Perlman made the Internet work

More than two decades ago, Web pioneer Lou Montulli invented browser software cookies with the goal of preserving user privacy online. But then things took an unexpected turn.

by steven johnson

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The Magic Cookie: How Lou Montulli cured the Web’s amnesia

More than 50 years ago, Douglas Engelbart gave the “mother of all demos” that transformed software forever. The computer world has been catching up with his vision ever since.

by steven johnson

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A Machine for Thinking: How Douglas Engelbart predicted the future of computing

Three decades ago, Philip Zimmermann almost went to jail so that you could send an email without worrying that your personal data would be stolen.

by steven johnson

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The Crypto Wars: How Phil Zimmermann fought for our right to privacy

As a young African American girl living on a farm during the Great Depression, Gladys West discovered she had a gift for math. Forty years later, she mapped the shape of Earth and helped invent GPS.

by steven johnson

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The Pathfinder: How Gladys West shaped the Earth for modern GPS

Fifty years ago, the computer scientist Nasir Ahmed came up with a brilliant idea for compressing data, laying the groundwork for Zoom, YouTube, Instagram, and all the other cornerstones of today's image-based online life.

by steven johnson

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The image society: How Nasir Ahmed shaped image-based life

When Apple unveiled the multitouch interface with the iPhone launch in 2007, it seemed as though computing had been reinvented overnight. But in reality, it was an innovation three decades in the making.

by steven johnson

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The Long Road To Multitouch: How a mix of new ideas shaped the way we communicate with computers

Other computing pioneers might have made our digital machines more efficient or powerful. Grace Hopper made them more like us.

by steven johnson

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Grandma COBOL: How Grace Hopper made computers more human

Alan Kay’s revolutionary vision of the Dynabook inspired the graphic interface, e-books, and the iPad. But he’ll be the first to tell you there’s still work to do.

by steven johnson

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Dream Machine: How Alan Kay envisioned the future of modern laptops, tablet computers, and e-books

Steven Johnson is the bestselling author of 13 books, including Where Ideas Come From. He’s the host of the PBS/BBC series Extra Life and How We Got to Now. He regularly contributes to The New York Times Magazine and has written for Wired, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal. His TED Talks on the history of innovation have been viewed more than ten million times.