When the Queen ascended the British throne in 1952, the microchip wasn’t even invented.

But that hasn’t stopped her embracing technology, including sending an email way back in 1976! Here’s just 8 of the greatest technological inventions from the past 63 years of her reign – the longest of any British monarch.

The Microchip – 1959

We all take it for granted now, but the microchip was not yet invented when Princess Elizabeth became Queen in 1952.

It was another 7 years before Texas Instruments unveiled the solid integrated circuit or what became known as the microchip.

Without this innovation, as technology website slate.com points out our modern world would not be here from computers, the web and even the pocket calculator.

The Internet – 1969

One of the biggest inventions of all time became real on 29 October 1969 when the first internet message was transmitted.

You may not know, but the first message was Lo and was sent at 10.30pm. It should have said Login but the system crashed.

Read more about the first internet message ever sent by clicking here.

Email – 1976

And the Queen went on to become the first monarch to send an email during a visit to an army base in 1976, according to this tweet from the official British Monarchy Twitter account.

The first digital camera – 1975

It might have been the size of a toaster and offered a resolution of 0.01 mexapixels, but inventor Steven Sasson launched a revolution when he developed the first digital camera while working at Kodak in 1975.

Read more about it, by clicking here.

Microsoft Windows – 1985

Screenshot of Microsoft Windows 1.0 operating environment (used with permission from Microsoft - photo from Wikepedia)

Screenshot of Microsoft Windows 1.0 operating environment (used with permission from Microsoft – photo from Wikepedia)

The graphical operating system that introduced a generation to home computing and helped transform our relationship with technology.

Windows 1.0 was launched in 1985 and helped Microsoft, founded by Bill Gates, dominate the technology landscape for years after.

Read more about Windows was almost given another name, by clicking here.

Bluetooth – 1994

It has become a global standard, allowing for easy wireless connections between different devices – just think of wireless headphones connecting to your smartphone for music.

The technology was created by Ericsson in 1994.

Facebook – 2004

Originally called “The facebook” when it was launched by Mark Zuckerberg and spread its social media tentacles from US universities to become the global phenomenon it is today.

Did you know that 1 BILLION people used Facebook on just one day in 2015. Read the story, by clicking here.

Micro SD memory cards – 2005

Sandisk 200GB microSD memory card (photo credit: Sandisk)

They might be the size of your little finger nail, but microSD memory cards have transformed our world in recent years.

The format was launched in 2005. From using them in our smartphones, they have allowed us to store a huge amount of data easily and cheaply – including 200GB cards as shown in the photo above.

Click here to see the range of microSD memory cards on sale at 7dayshop.com.

The iPhone – 2007

A game-changer, this smartphone has been seen as a defining moment when it comes to modern technology.

With its sleek looks, touchscreen and new world of applications and ease-of-use, it forced a major rethink by rivals.

Did you know the first Android smartphone was never launched to market thanks to the iPhone? Click here to read the story.

More Top Stories – Click Below

Flexible sheet camera (screen grab via YouTube/Columbia Engineering video)

This invention could revolutionise photography and videos

Concorde_on_Bristol

5 examples of iconic technology that today’s kids may not recognise

Betamax

Tech turkeys or ahead of their time? Betamax and 4 other gadgets that didn’t quite make it