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History of Spreadsheets Timeline

(1961–Present)

The history of spreadsheets traces the evolution of tabular data tools from paper-based accounting methods and early computer models to powerful software used for analysis, planning, finance, and collaboration. Less

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Early data and theory

“Spread sheet” enters accounting

1906

Since at least 1906, the term “spread sheet” was used in accounting to describe a grid of columns and rows in a ledger.

Mattessich outlines electronic spreadsheets

1961

Richard Mattessich outlined the concept of an electronic spreadsheet in his 1961 paper “Budgeting Models and System Simulation.”

Image source: Spreadsheet

Mattessich outlines electronic spreadsheets

Mainframe spreadsheets

BCL is implemented on the IBM 1130

1962

In 1962, the spreadsheet concept known as BCL, or Business Computer Language, was implemented on an IBM 1130.

BCL is ported to the IBM 7040

1963

R. Brian Walsh ported BCL from the IBM 1130 to an IBM 7040 at Marquette University in Wisconsin in 1963.

Business Computer Language book is written

1964

Kimball, Stoffells, and Walsh wrote a book entitled Business Computer Language in 1964, documenting the emerging spreadsheet-oriented programming approach.

BCL materials receive copyright

1966

Both the Business Computer Language book and the BCL program were copyrighted in 1966; the copyright was renewed years later.

BCL reaches IBM 360/67 timesharing

1968

Walsh ported BCL to the IBM 360/67 timesharing machine at Washington State University in 1968.

Phoenix software founders start a development house

1968

In 1968, three former employees of General Electric’s computer company in Phoenix, Arizona, set out to establish their own software development house.

LANPAR is introduced

1969

LANPAR, introduced by Remy Landau and Rene Pardo in 1969, became the first electronic spreadsheet on mainframe and time-sharing computers.

Pardo and Landau develop LANPAR

1969

Pardo and Landau developed and implemented LANPAR in 1969, creating the first electronic spreadsheet for mainframe and time-sharing computers.

Pardo and Landau conceive a spreadsheet system

1969

Following their graduation from Harvard University, Rene K. Pardo and Remy Landau conceived an electronic spreadsheet during the summer of 1969.

Pardo and Landau file spreadsheet patent

1970

In 1970, Rene K. Pardo and Remy Landau filed U.S. patent 4,398,249 covering a spreadsheet automatic natural-order calculation algorithm.

Financial Analysis Language launches

1974

GE Information Services, which operated a time-sharing service, launched its own spreadsheet system, Financial Analysis Language, around 1974.

IBM Financial Planning and Control System is developed

1976

Brian Ingham developed the IBM Financial Planning and Control System in 1976 at IBM Canada.

APLDOT is developed

1976

APLDOT, an early industrial-weight spreadsheet, was developed in 1976 at the United States Railway Association on an IBM 360/91 running at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory.

ExecuCalc is released

1982

Parallax Systems released ExecuCalc in late 1982 as the first mainframe “visi-clone,” duplicating VisiCalc’s features on IBM mainframes with 3270 display terminals.

LANPAR patent is upheld after appeals

1983

After twelve years of appeals, Pardo and Landau won a landmark 1983 case before the predecessor Court of the Federal Circuit, overturning the Patent Office’s rejection and establishing that an invention does not cease to be patentable merely because its novelty is in an algorithm.

CCPA patent ruling establishes algorithm precedent

1983

The 1983 ruling in the Pardo and Landau case established an important patent-law principle: an invention remains potentially patentable even when its point of novelty lies in an algorithm.

LANPAR patent is ruled unenforceable

1995

In 1995, a federal district court ruled the Pardo and Landau spreadsheet patent unenforceable because of inequitable conduct by the inventors during the application process.

Federal Circuit upholds patent decision

1996

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the district court’s decision regarding the spreadsheet patent in 1996.

Personal computer revolution

VisiCalc launches on the Apple II

1979

VisiCalc, developed for the Apple II by VisiCorp staff Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston, became the first electronic spreadsheet on a microcomputer and a killer application for the Apple II.

Image source: VisiCalc

VisiCalc launches on the Apple II

SuperCalc is published

1980

Sorcim published SuperCalc in 1980. It was originally bundled with WordStar as part of the CP/M software package included with the Osborne 1 portable computer.

Image source: SuperCalc

SuperCalc is published

Lotus 1-2-3 accelerates IBM PC adoption

Nov 1982

The introduction of Lotus 1-2-3 in November 1982 accelerated acceptance of the IBM Personal Computer.

Image source: Lotus 1-2-3

Lotus 1-2-3 accelerates IBM PC adoption

StarOffice launches

1985

StarOffice launched in 1985 and later became the foundation from which the LibreOffice kit used by Collabora Online Calc grew.

Image source: StarOffice

StarOffice launches

Excel launches for Macintosh

Sep 30, 1985

Microsoft released the first version of Excel for the Apple Macintosh on September 30, 1985.

Excel reaches Windows

Nov 1987

Microsoft ported Excel to Windows, releasing version 2.05 in November 1987 to synchronize its numbering with the Macintosh version 2.2.

Image source: Microsoft Excel

Excel becomes market leader

1995

By 1995, Excel had become the market leader, edging out Lotus 1-2-3.

IBM discontinues Lotus 1-2-3

2013

IBM discontinued Lotus 1-2-3 altogether in 2013, after Excel had overtaken it as the market leader.

Web and modern spreadsheets

Spreadsheet 2000 attempts simpler formulas

2000

Spreadsheet 2000 attempted to dramatically simplify formula construction, but the product was generally unsuccessful.

Google Sheets enables collaborative web access

2006

The 2006 Google Sheets release allowed multiple users to access a spreadsheet from different device types through a compatible web browser, with online and offline use.

Google launches its spreadsheet web application

2006

Google launched a beta web-based spreadsheet application in 2006. It became Google Sheets, one of the applications provided through Google Drive.

Image source: Google Sheets

Google launches its spreadsheet web application

XLS format limits spreadsheet capacity

2007

The Microsoft XLS format, used by Excel versions before 2007, had a capacity limit of 65,536 rows by 256 columns.

British spreadsheet users study reveals training gap

2011

A study of nearly 1,500 people in the United Kingdom in early 2011 found that 57 percent of spreadsheet users had never received formal training on the spreadsheet package they used.

Herndon identifies errors in austerity research

2013

In 2013, University of Massachusetts Amherst graduate student Thomas Herndon found major coding flaws in the spreadsheet used by Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff for their influential 2010 article Growth in a Time of Debt.

Collabora Online Calc launches

2016

Collabora Online Calc launched in 2016. Its web-based spreadsheet could be hosted and integrated into an environment without depending on a third party for authentication or maintenance.

Image source: Collabora Online

Collabora Online Calc launches

British COVID-19 case data are lost

2020

In September and October 2020, the use of Microsoft’s legacy XLS format in a British computer system caused COVID-19 positive cases to be omitted from statistics because of the format’s capacity limitations.

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Key Facts

  1. Richard Mattessich pioneered early computerized spreadsheet concepts in the 1960s, including programs for budgeting and accounting.
  2. VisiCalc, released in 1979 for the Apple II, became the first widely successful electronic spreadsheet and helped drive personal computer adoption.
  3. Lotus 1-2-3 launched in 1983 and became a leading spreadsheet program by combining worksheets, charts, and database features.
  4. Microsoft Excel debuted for the Macintosh in 1985 and for Windows in 1987, eventually becoming the dominant desktop spreadsheet application.
  5. Google Sheets, launched in 2006, helped popularize cloud-based spreadsheets with real-time collaboration and online access.

Source

This History of Spreadsheets timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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