Before graphics processing units (GPUs) became the powerhouse chips driving modern video games, scientific simulations, and artificial intelligence, computer graphics were slow, blocky, and severely limited. Understanding how we got from simple glowing dots to today's hyper-realistic 3D worlds requires looking back at a few key breakthroughs in computing history. Part 1: In the Beginning — Legacy Systems & Early Graphics 1950: The Whirlwind Computer The long s...