1. Into a New Century The Technological Revolution

2. The Rise of the Compact Computer  The development of a computer capable of supporting publications such as Slate began at the end of World War II.  Integrated circuit –a complete electronic circuit on a single chip of the element silicon-which made circuits vastly easier to manufacture.

3. The Rise of the Compact Computer Computers for Everyone  The Apple II, the first practical and affordable home computer.  In 1981 International Business Machines (IBM) introduced its own compact machine called the “Personal Computer” (PC).  Macintosh, a new model featuring a simplified operating system using onscreen graphic symbols called icons, which users could manipulate with a hand operated device called a mouse.

4. The Rise of the Compact Computer Bill Gates and Microsoft  19-year old Harvard dropout Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft to design PC software.  In 1980 IBM hired Microsoft to develop an operating system for its new PC.  Gates quickly paid a Seattle programmer $50,000 for the rights to his software, and with some refinements, it became MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System)  By the late 1990s, many workers used home computers and electronic mail to “telecommute,” or do their jobs via computer without having to go to the office.

5. The Rise of the Internet  Digital electronics made possible a new worldwide communication system.  This pave the way for the internet, a global information system that operated commercially rather than through the government.  Users could now click on Internet links using their computer mouse and easily jump from Web site to Web site.

6. Breakthroughs in Biotechnology Unraveling the Secrets of Life  DNA is the genetic material in cells that determine all forms of life.  Biotechnology created artificial genes and assisted genetic engineering for plants, animals, and humans.

7. Breakthroughs in Biotechnology The Human Genome Project  For years scientists talked to mapping out the human genome by recording the DNA sequence of the human species.  In February 2001, the project completed its first map of the human genome.