How do you tell the history of something that is, well, virtual? After all, nobody really knows how to define it exactly--there are parameters, but they expand and contract in such unpredictable ways.

To a degree, the history of computing, the history of the imaginary productions of technological thinkers and inventors,the history of graphical intefaces, the history of SF and Cyberpunk, and even the history of film and special effects, are all at stake as aspects of the history of virtual reality. Such murkiness testifies to the intrigue and mystique attached to VR.

At the same time, one must have order in this world.

Patterns
designs
balances
. . . . .
. . .
.

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.
. . .
. . . . .

and
of
course
timelines.

The "Virtual Realities & Imaginative Literature" Timeline, which is part of the Transcriptions Project's online database research environment, allows for interactive browsing and searching.

To access the Timeline database,

Or, perhaps you would like some guidelines before taking the plunge. You can generate timelines in many different ways according to your own needs and interests. By choosing the 'Browse All' function, you can literally browse all of the entries for this Topics page, which begin in 1777 and end in the present moment. Alternately, you can choose to specifiy your search with particulars, such as dates, names, or topics. Another possibility is to generate a timeline from amongst the categories (to the right of each timeline entry) I have used to sort each item: Technology, Imaginative Technology, Military Technology, Critical Thought, Imaginative Writing, Neologisms that Change Everything, Science Fiction, Cyberpunk, and Entertainment. Many items belong to several categories at once.

If you know of an event in the History of Virtual Reality--technological, philosophical, or artistic--that you would like to see added to this Timeline database, please make contact.