On This Day

Douglas Engelbart

engineer and inventor

Born: Died: American

Douglas Carl Engelbart (January 30, 1925 – July 2, 2013) was an American engineer, inventor, and a pioneer in many aspects of computer science. He is best known for his work on founding the field of human–computer interaction, particularly while at his Augmentation Research Center Lab in SRI International, which resulted in creation of the computer mouse, and the development of hypertext, networked computers, and precursors to graphical user interfaces. These were demonstrated at The Mother of All Demos in 1968. Engelbart's law, the observation that the intrinsic rate of human performance is exponential, is named after him.

The "oN-Line System" (NLS) developed by the Augmentation Research Center under Engelbart's guidance with funding mostly from the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), later renamed Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), demonstrated many technologies, most of which are now in widespread use; it included the computer mouse, bitmapped screens, word processing, and hypertext; all of which were displayed at "The Mother of All Demos" in 1968.

Notable For

American engineer and inventor

Douglas Engelbart's Historical Timeline

  1. Douglas Engelbart is born

    Douglas Engelbart, American engineer and inventor, known for american engineer and inventor, was born on 1925-01-30.

  2. Douglas Engelbart demonstrates in "The Mother of All Demos" the computer system NLS (oN-Line System) to a live audience

    Douglas Engelbart demonstrates in "The Mother of All Demos" the computer system NLS (oN-Line System) to a live audience in San Francisco, showcasing for the first time the mouse, word processing, windows, hypertext links, video conferencing, real-time collaboration, and other modern computing concep

  3. Stanford Research Institute scientist Douglas Engelbart receives the first patent for the computer mouse

    Stanford Research Institute scientist Douglas Engelbart receives the first patent for the computer mouse

Associated Historical Events

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Douglas Engelbart born?
Douglas Engelbart was born on 1925-01-30 (American).
What is Douglas Engelbart known for?
American engineer and inventor
What historical events involved Douglas Engelbart?
Douglas Engelbart was involved in 3 recorded historical events, including Douglas Engelbart is born, Douglas Engelbart demonstrates in "The Mother of All Demos" the computer system NLS (oN-Line System) to a live audience , Stanford Research Institute scientist Douglas Engelbart receives the first patent for the computer mouse.
When did Douglas Engelbart die?
Douglas Engelbart died on 2013-01-01.

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