computing

35 years after his debut, Sonic the Hedgehog remains one of the most famous video games characters ever created.   First released by Sega on 23 June 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive, Sonic quickly became one of gaming’s most iconic mascots. Since then, Sonic has appeared in over 100 video games, not to mention comic books, TV series, and blockbuster films. But how much do you know about the blue blur’s origins?  To celebrate the anniversary of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game, we’ve rounded up five surprising facts about Sonic’s creation, design and early history that even some long-time fans might not […]

Curator Rachel Boon reflects on the remarkable life of computing pioneer Dame Stephanie “Steve” Shirley.

To celebrate 45 years since the release of Pac-Man, Head of Commercial Experiences and gaming fan Mark Cutmore explores the story of the much-loved character and pop-culture icon.

To mark 40 years since the production of the first ARM microprocessor, Assistant Curator Cait Scott explores computing history and the career of one of ARM’s pioneering programmers, Sophie Wilson.

Roger Highfield, Science Director, gazes into his crystal ball to glimpse the experiments, projects and innovations that will make headlines in the coming year.

To celebrate Information Age’s tenth anniversary, Curator of Computing and Communications, Rachel Boon, shares stories featured on the gallery along with developments over the last decade which shape how we use these technologies today.

Roger Highfield, Science Director, talks to Jim Clarke of Intel, whose team has adapted traditional methods used to make computer chips to bring silicon-based quantum computers closer to reality.

On Tuesday 7 November we revealed a large-scale virtual model of a human heart in the Engineers gallery.

On 11 May 1997 – more than 25 years ago – a computer beat the world chess champion, Garry Kasparov. How has our world changed since then? And what does it mean when computers win against people?

The 2 January marks the birthday of a pioneer and trailblazer in the world of STEM and in the fight for equality for members of the transgender community. Lynn Conway’s inventions and methods revolutionised computer engineering and how we teach computer science, influencing how we engage with computers to this day.

Two millennia ago, the Antikythera Mechanism was used in Ancient Greece to predict heavenly movements. Roger Highfield, Science Director, describes how this spectacular bronze computer was at least a millennium ahead of its time.

Curator Emeritus Andrew Nahum reflects on Alan Turing’s only known visit to the Science Museum, which took place in August 1951.