A peripheral device is an auxiliary computer hardware component that transfers information externally but is not part of the core system. Peripherals are categorized by data flow: input devices like mice and keyboards send data to the computer, while output devices such as monitors and printers receive data from it. Input/output devices including USB flash drives and routers both send and receive data. Modern gadgets like smartphones and tablets commonly function as peripherals.
History
One of the earliest known computer peripherals to be made was the punched card, which was first introduced into computing in the late 1880s by Herman Hollerith, an American engineer.2 As a result, the punched card tabulator was invented, which was able to read the punch cards.3 In addition, it was the first computer peripheral to be mass-produced.4
The introduction of the punched card also led to the creation of the Hollerith Type 001 Mechanical Card Punch, would would become the basis of computer keyboards. The keypunch allowed operators to punch the digits 0-9, without the user having prior knowledge of the corresponding card codes.5
See also
Look up peripheral in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.External links
References
Laplante, Philip A. (2000). Dictionary of Computer Science, Engineering and Technology. CRC Press. p. 366. ISBN 0-8493-2691-5. Archived from the original on September 3, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2018. 0-8493-2691-5 ↩
"The punched card | IBM". www.ibm.com. Retrieved 2025-07-05. https://www.ibm.com/history/punched-card ↩
"The punched card tabulator | IBM". www.ibm.com. Retrieved 2025-07-05. https://www.ibm.com/history/punched-card-tabulator ↩
"The punched card | IBM". www.ibm.com. Retrieved 2025-07-05. https://www.ibm.com/history/punched-card ↩
"Type 001 Mechanical Card Punch". www.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2025-07-05. https://www.columbia.edu/cu/computinghistory/001.html ↩