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70 Surprising Facts About Technology You Didn't Know – Fascinating Tech Trivia

1. The first computer virus was created in 1986

Known as the Brain virus, it was developed by two Pakistani brothers to protect their software from piracy.

2. The first website went online in 1991

It was created by Tim Berners-Lee and simply explained the World Wide Web project.

3. Email predates the World Wide Web

Email was invented in 1971, two decades before the World Wide Web became publicly available.

4. The first smartphone was released in 1992

IBM's Simon Personal Communicator was the first device to combine a phone and PDA.

5. The original Google storage was made from LEGO

Google founders used LEGO bricks to house the hard drives of their early search engine prototype.

6. 90% of the world’s data has been created in the last two years

The digital universe is expanding at an unprecedented rate due to internet usage, mobile technology, and IoT.

7. The first computer mouse was made of wood

Invented by Douglas Engelbart in 1964, it had two wheels and was made of carved wood.

8. The password for early computer systems was often '1234'

Weak default passwords were common in early systems, making them easy targets for hackers.

9. The Apollo 11 mission used less computing power than a modern smartphone

The onboard computer had just 64KB of memory and operated at 0.043MHz.

10. Facebook's blue color is due to Mark Zuckerberg's color blindness

He has red-green color blindness, and blue is the color he sees best.

11. There are more mobile devices in the world than people

The number of active mobile devices surpassed the global population in 2014.

12. QR codes were invented in 1994

Originally used for tracking automotive parts in Japan, QR codes are now common in retail and advertising.

13. The first 1GB hard drive was introduced in 1980

It cost $40,000 and weighed over 500 pounds.

14. CAPTCHA was developed to prevent spam

It stands for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart."

15. The first video uploaded to YouTube was in 2005

It was titled “Me at the zoo” and features co-founder Jawed Karim.

16. Amazon started as an online bookstore

Jeff Bezos launched it in 1994, selling books from his garage in Seattle.

17. The term 'robot' comes from a 1920 play

It was first used in Karel Čapek's play "R.U.R." and means "forced labor" in Czech.

18. Email was the most popular online activity in the 90s

Before social media and streaming, email dominated internet use.

19. Bitcoin was created in 2009

It was introduced by the pseudonymous developer Satoshi Nakamoto as a decentralized digital currency.

20. There are over 1.8 billion websites today

However, only a fraction are active and regularly maintained.

21. More than 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute

Video content consumption is growing exponentially across platforms.

22. The term “bug” in computing came from an actual insect

Grace Hopper discovered a moth inside a computer relay, coining the term “debugging.”

23. The first webcam watched a coffee pot

Cambridge University used it in 1993 to monitor coffee levels in the break room.

24. Apple was founded in a garage

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started the company in 1976 from a Los Altos garage.

25. Google processes over 8.5 billion searches a day

It remains the most popular search engine worldwide.

26. The average smartphone has more computing power than NASA's computers in 1969

This highlights how far technology has progressed in just a few decades.

27. The first text message was sent in 1992

It read “Merry Christmas” and was sent from a PC to a mobile phone.

28. The USB was designed to be reversible, but the creator failed

Ajay Bhatt admitted it was a compromise due to cost and complexity.

29. The domain Google.com was registered in 1997

Originally called Backrub, it was renamed Google, a misspelling of "googol."

30. CAPTCHA tests helped digitize books

reCAPTCHA used scanned text from books to train OCR software and digitize archives.

31. The first mobile phone call was made in 1973

Martin Cooper made the call on a Motorola DynaTAC prototype.

32. Amazon's Alexa was inspired by Star Trek

The idea of voice-controlled computers came from the Starship Enterprise.

33. HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language

It is the backbone of all web pages and structures content on the internet.

34. JavaScript was created in just 10 days

Brendan Eich developed the language in 1995 while working at Netscape.

35. Twitter’s character limit is based on SMS

The original 140-character limit was set to fit within standard text message limits.

36. Internet Explorer once held 95% of browser market share

It dominated in the early 2000s but lost ground to Chrome and Firefox.

37. Cloud computing dates back to the 1960s

The concept of shared computing resources was introduced by J.C.R. Licklider.

38. Google Maps was originally developed by a Danish-Australian team

It was later acquired by Google and integrated into its ecosystem in 2005.

39. The term Wi-Fi doesn’t actually stand for anything

It was a marketing term and not short for "Wireless Fidelity."

40. IBM's Watson once beat humans on Jeopardy!

In 2011, it competed and won against top human players in a televised quiz show.

41. Bluetooth was named after a Viking king

King Harald Bluetooth united Denmark, similar to how Bluetooth unites devices.

42. The first digital camera was invented in 1975

Created by Kodak engineer Steven Sasson, it recorded black-and-white images at 0.01 megapixels.

43. Adobe Photoshop was first released in 1990

It quickly became the industry standard for image editing and manipulation.

44. iPhone was not the first touchscreen phone

Devices like the IBM Simon and LG Prada existed earlier, but Apple revolutionized the interface.

45. Most of the world’s internet traffic is video

Streaming platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and TikTok account for over 80% of all traffic.

46. Moore's Law predicted rapid tech growth

It states that the number of transistors on a chip doubles about every two years.

47. Tesla's Autopilot uses artificial intelligence

Its self-driving software relies on neural networks and machine learning.

48. Open-source software powers the internet

Many core technologies, including Linux and Apache, are open source.

49. Virtual reality has been in development since the 1960s

The Sensorama and early head-mounted displays predate modern VR systems.

50. Antivirus software must constantly evolve

Cyber threats adapt quickly, requiring real-time updates and heuristics.

51. The world's fastest supercomputer is capable of quintillions of calculations per second

As of recent years, Frontier and Fugaku lead the race in computing power.

52. Technology is a major driver of climate solutions

From smart grids to green data centers, tech is key in sustainability.

53. 5G technology drastically reduces latency

It enables real-time communication crucial for autonomous vehicles and remote surgery.

54. AI can now write, draw, and compose music

Generative AI models are capable of creating content previously thought to be human-only.

55. NFTs use blockchain to verify ownership of digital items

They have become popular in digital art, gaming, and collectibles.

56. Quantum computers work using qubits

Unlike binary bits, qubits can represent multiple states simultaneously.

57. The deep web is much larger than the surface web

It includes unindexed content like databases and private websites.

58. Tesla cars receive over-the-air software updates

Like smartphones, Teslas improve performance and features remotely.

59. Smart homes use IoT to automate daily tasks

Devices like thermostats, lights, and security systems can be controlled remotely.

60. Digital twins are virtual replicas of real-world systems

They're used in industry to simulate and optimize processes and equipment.

61. Blockchain ensures data integrity

Once recorded, information cannot be easily altered, making it ideal for finance and records.

62. Coding is becoming a basic literacy skill

Many educational systems now introduce programming at the elementary level.

63. Internet speeds have increased exponentially

From dial-up to fiber optics, data transmission rates have skyrocketed.

64. Robotics is revolutionizing healthcare

Robotic arms assist in surgery and rehabilitation therapy around the world.

65. Satellites play a major role in daily life

They enable GPS, weather forecasts, communication, and global internet coverage.

66. The dark web requires special browsers to access

Tools like Tor allow access to hidden services not indexed by regular search engines.

67. Smartwatches can monitor health in real-time

They track heart rate, sleep, oxygen levels, and even detect falls or arrhythmias.

68. 3D printing can produce organs, tools, and houses

It’s being used in medicine, aerospace, construction, and education.

69. Digital addiction is a growing concern

Excessive screen time and social media use are linked to various mental health issues.

70. Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing tech fields

As threats evolve, the demand for professionals and advanced defense systems continues to rise.