Snake

GIF animation of a Nokia phone displaying the Snake gameplay.

Programmed in 1997 by Taneli Armanto of Nokia and introduced as a pre-loaded game on the Nokia 6110. The player must keep the snake from colliding with both other obstacles and itself, which gets harder as the snake lengthens. It originated as a two-player arcade game, Blockade.

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Design & Use 1990s 1970s

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Return of the dumbphone

Luddite teens hold their vintage flip phones in a circle.

The "dumbphone" or feature phone is a simpler form of mobile phone, and it's becoming popular again. A return to early 2000s technology, unlike smartphones, dumbphones...

iPhone released

Apple’s first iPhone ad features a supercut from TV shows and movies saying, “Hello,” like Dustin Hoffman, Marilyn Monroe, and Will Ferrell. “Hello” first ran on February 25, 2007, during the Oscars.

The release of the iPhone in 2007 revolutionized the smartphone setting a new standard and changing how we interact with technology. Steve Jobs famously described the iPhone...

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Image of a BlackBerry 5810 with the application screen options including calendars, email, and phone calls.

RIM unveiled the BlackBerry 5810 as its first smartphone. It was marketed as a “breakthrough in wireless convergence that delivers email, phone, SMS, browser, and organizer...

Transform the tech industry from inside.

Take Action Photo of a hand holding the 2021 yearbook, which is a collection of the community’s work over 12 weeks.

Collective Action School has a grassroots theory of change. We believe the people who make the tech industry run—its workers—have the power to not only transform it, but to build and imagine new technologies. They welcome all tech workers—whether you’re a project manager, warehouse worker, software engineer, or ride share driver.

Snake

GIF animation of a Nokia phone displaying the Snake gameplay.

Programmed in 1997 by Taneli Armanto of Nokia and introduced as a pre-loaded game on the Nokia 6110. The player must keep the snake from colliding with both other obstacles...

First SMS sent

Image of the first SMS both in code and on an historic screen.

The first SMS text message in history is sent: Neil Papworth, a 22-year-old engineer, uses a personal computer to send the text message “Merry Christmas” via the Vodafone...

Trans engineer democratizes chip design

Lynn Conway holding a copy of her VLSI publication.

Fired from IBM after disclosing her gender transition, Lynn Conway went on to help democratize chip design at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center in the “VLSI revolution.” Very...