1951: Magnetic tape first used to record data on a computer (Univac). Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images
1952: Introduction of commercial computer tape storage (IBM 726). Photo: IBM
1964: Introduction of 9-track tape storage. Photo: IBM
1968: Introduction of the self-threading drive (IBM 2420). Photo: IBM
1974: First automated (robotic) tape library (IBM 3850). Photo: IBM
1974: First automated (robotic) tape library (IBM 3850). Photo: IBM
1984: Introduction of thin-film head technology (IBM 3480) and of the 4-by-5-inch cartridge. Photo: IBM
1989: Introduction of Digital Data Storage (helical scan). Photo: Kadin2048/Wikipedia
2009: IBM introduces the Linear Tape File System. Photo: IBM
2009: IBM introduces the Linear Tape File System. Image: Hewlett Packard Enterprise/IBM/Quantum
2017: Release of the latest generation of LTO (LTO-8). Photo: IBM