Timeline - 1960s

First computer, the IBM 610, is acquired for use by both undergraduate and graduate students.

Wes Graham is appointed Director of the Computing Centre.
First student-oriented software, FORGO, from the University of Wisconsin, is introduced.
Punched cards replace paper tape and remain a staple of computing at UW for more than a decade.

Ralph Stanton creates a Computer Science Division within the Department of Mathematics.

First students are admitted to the Co-operative Mathematics program with Computer Science Option, the only academic program of its type in the world.
First Computer Science Days are held at UW, introducing high school students to computing.

IBM 7040 WATFOR, a fast FORTRAN compiler, is released. The authors are third year students: Gus German, Jim Mitchell, Richard Shirley, and Bob Zarnke, supervised by Mathematics Lecturer Peter Shantz.

The IBM 360/75, Canada's largest computer, is acquired. Later to be housed in the infamous Red Room, the computer cost about $8,000,000 while the entire Math and Computing (MC) building cost about $5,000,000!

The Faculty of Mathematics is established.
Founding members of the Department of Applied Analysis and Computer Science (AA/CS) are Janos Aczel, Paul Cress, Wes Graham, Paul Dirksen, Hiroshi Haruki, Jan Kent, Mike McKiernan, Byron Ehle, Don Cowan, Doug Lawson, Peter Jennings, John Wilson, and Peter Brillinger.
Don Cowan becomes the first Chair of AA/CS (1967 - 1972).
A Latin American connection, sponsored by IBM, develops. The first professors arrive from Brazil.
WATFOR 360 and its extension, WATFIV, are developed under the supervision of Paul Dirksen and Paul Cress.

UW is recognized by British press, Sunday Times and Daily Telegram, for "developing the methods for mass education for the computer age".
MC building is officially opened by the honourable John Robarts, the Premier of Ontario, and AA/CS moves to the 5th floor.

AA/CS becomes the largest department in the Faculty of Mathematics.
WATBOL, a fast compiler for COBOL, is introduced by the Computer Systems Group (CSG).
UW's first PhDs in Computer Science are granted to Byron Ehle and Hugh Williams.
10th Annual Symposium on Switching and Automata Theory, later renamed to the Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FoCS), is held at UW, the first time outside of the USA.