Overview
Until the computer, people were required to do repetitive calculations on their own. These jobs, as you can imagine, were boring. The people working these jobs, called computers, eventually would begin to get careless, leading to mistakes. At first, there were simple pieces of technology to help calculate these problems, including the abacus, which was arguably the first calculator thanks to the Babylonians. However, the abacus could only do addition. This led to new "calculators" to be invented, each improving the design and uses of these. The first computers used vacuum tubes to process and store data. These glass tubes were unreliable, heated up quickly, and burned out often. This caused the first generation of computers to be very expensive, large, and unreliable.
Until the computer, people were required to do repetitive calculations on their own. These jobs, as you can imagine, were boring. The people working these jobs, called computers, eventually would begin to get careless, leading to mistakes. At first, there were simple pieces of technology to help calculate these problems, including the abacus, which was arguably the first calculator thanks to the Babylonians. However, the abacus could only do addition. This led to new "calculators" to be invented, each improving the design and uses of these. The first computers used vacuum tubes to process and store data. These glass tubes were unreliable, heated up quickly, and burned out often. This caused the first generation of computers to be very expensive, large, and unreliable.
The Z1- 1936
Eventually, in 1936, a German by the name of Konrad Zuse created the first freely programmable computer, the Z1. It read instructions from punched tape and used binary floating point numbers (gave a wider range of numbers) and Boolean Logic (sequences of 0's and 1's). The Z1 was able to calculate numbers, although slowly, like a calculator. It was used for military purposes. However, the Z1 was unreliable due to the card reader/writer that it used to store data. Unfortunately, this computer was destroyed in the bombing of Berlin in WWII. Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/436866886.jpg
Eventually, in 1936, a German by the name of Konrad Zuse created the first freely programmable computer, the Z1. It read instructions from punched tape and used binary floating point numbers (gave a wider range of numbers) and Boolean Logic (sequences of 0's and 1's). The Z1 was able to calculate numbers, although slowly, like a calculator. It was used for military purposes. However, the Z1 was unreliable due to the card reader/writer that it used to store data. Unfortunately, this computer was destroyed in the bombing of Berlin in WWII. Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/436866886.jpg
The ABC Computer- 1942
Shortly after the Z1 was destroyed, the Antanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) was created. Built in 1937 by John Atanasoff & Clifford Berry and tested in 1942, it was the first electronic digital computing devices but was not programmable. This meant that it could only solve linear equations. On top of that, the ABC Computer was unreliable because it used a paper card reader/writer, similar to the Z1. This caused it to be discontinued, but it was used by the military for a time.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/928403273.png
Shortly after the Z1 was destroyed, the Antanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) was created. Built in 1937 by John Atanasoff & Clifford Berry and tested in 1942, it was the first electronic digital computing devices but was not programmable. This meant that it could only solve linear equations. On top of that, the ABC Computer was unreliable because it used a paper card reader/writer, similar to the Z1. This caused it to be discontinued, but it was used by the military for a time.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/928403273.png
Harvard Mark I- 1944
This computer, designed by Howard Aiken & Grace Hopper at Harvard University, was the first computer to not use paper cards to store data. This made the computer vastly more reliable and caused it to stay in service until 1959. It was large, however- as big as a large room and could only store 72 numbers with 23 decimal points each at a time.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/741852812.jpg
This computer, designed by Howard Aiken & Grace Hopper at Harvard University, was the first computer to not use paper cards to store data. This made the computer vastly more reliable and caused it to stay in service until 1959. It was large, however- as big as a large room and could only store 72 numbers with 23 decimal points each at a time.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/741852812.jpg
ENIAC I- 1946
John Presper Eckert & John W. Mauchly created the first general purpose computer, the ENIAC I, in 1946. It could store more data than previous models, could be easily reprogrammed, and was said to have one thousand times the calculating speed of previous electronic mechanical devices. The ENIAC also used vacuum tubes to transfer data, which burned out quickly. This meant that it was inoperable for half of the day.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/964871799.jpg
John Presper Eckert & John W. Mauchly created the first general purpose computer, the ENIAC I, in 1946. It could store more data than previous models, could be easily reprogrammed, and was said to have one thousand times the calculating speed of previous electronic mechanical devices. The ENIAC also used vacuum tubes to transfer data, which burned out quickly. This meant that it was inoperable for half of the day.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/964871799.jpg
Manchester Baby Computer & The Williams Tube- 1948
Nicknamed the Baby, this computer was the first in the world to store information digitally. It was not designed as a practical computer, but instead was meant as a test bed for the Williams Tube, which was basically a vacuum tube that was used to store data.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/643464516.png
Nicknamed the Baby, this computer was the first in the world to store information digitally. It was not designed as a practical computer, but instead was meant as a test bed for the Williams Tube, which was basically a vacuum tube that was used to store data.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/643464516.png
The Transistor- 1947/48
The transistor, invented by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain & Wiliam Shockley, was a major improvement for computers. It did the same thing that vacuum tubes did (amplified electronic signals), but did it more reliably. The transistors did not have to be replaced as often as vacuum tubes, causing computers to become less expensive to maintain and more reliable. The transistor also led to the invention of integrated circuits, which are in use in today's computers.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/484366857.gif
The transistor, invented by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain & Wiliam Shockley, was a major improvement for computers. It did the same thing that vacuum tubes did (amplified electronic signals), but did it more reliably. The transistors did not have to be replaced as often as vacuum tubes, causing computers to become less expensive to maintain and more reliable. The transistor also led to the invention of integrated circuits, which are in use in today's computers.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/484366857.gif
UNIVAC I- 1951
Standing for UNIVersal Automatic Computer 1 and invented by John Presper Eckert & John W. Mauchly, this computer was the first to be intended for business and administrative use rather than use by the military. The UNIVAC I was much faster than the current punch card computers that were being used for business purposes and could store much more data. It did use vacuum tubes, around 5,200 of them, but it proved to be more reliable because it didn't store data on punch cards.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/696287514.jpg
Standing for UNIVersal Automatic Computer 1 and invented by John Presper Eckert & John W. Mauchly, this computer was the first to be intended for business and administrative use rather than use by the military. The UNIVAC I was much faster than the current punch card computers that were being used for business purposes and could store much more data. It did use vacuum tubes, around 5,200 of them, but it proved to be more reliable because it didn't store data on punch cards.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/696287514.jpg
IBM 701 EDPM Computer- 1953
This was the first commercial scientific calculator. It used vacuum tubes and electrostatic storage, allowing it to store thousands of numbers. This was also the device that gained International Business Machines (IBM) some popularity.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/554298177.jpg
This was the first commercial scientific calculator. It used vacuum tubes and electrostatic storage, allowing it to store thousands of numbers. This was also the device that gained International Business Machines (IBM) some popularity.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/554298177.jpg
FORTRAN Computer Programming Language- 1954
This, created by John Backus & IBM, was the first high-level programming language that made programming on computers much easier. Before, computer programmers were required to program in machine/assembly code, which was an extremely difficult and time consuming task. With this, programming was easier and less time consuming.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/981103946.jpg
This, created by John Backus & IBM, was the first high-level programming language that made programming on computers much easier. Before, computer programmers were required to program in machine/assembly code, which was an extremely difficult and time consuming task. With this, programming was easier and less time consuming.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/981103946.jpg
ERMA and MICR- 1955 (In use 1959)
ERMA was a computer meant to automate banking bookkeeping. It was under contract to Bank of America but Stanford Research Institute and General Electric helped. It was equipped with 2 MICRs, which allowed the computer to read cheques, add and subtract money from bank accounts, etc.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/619975743.png
ERMA was a computer meant to automate banking bookkeeping. It was under contract to Bank of America but Stanford Research Institute and General Electric helped. It was equipped with 2 MICRs, which allowed the computer to read cheques, add and subtract money from bank accounts, etc.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/619975743.png
The Integrated Circuit- 1958
Developed by Jack Kilby & Robert Noyce, an integrated circuit is a set of electronic circuits of a semiconductors. They are made from independent components and are much less expensive than vacuum tubes and transistors.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/443950312.jpg
Developed by Jack Kilby & Robert Noyce, an integrated circuit is a set of electronic circuits of a semiconductors. They are made from independent components and are much less expensive than vacuum tubes and transistors.
Image: http://www.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/9/3/19935319/443950312.jpg
Sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z1_(computer)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atanasoff%E2%80%93Berry_Computer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Mark_I
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC#Reliability
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Small-Scale_Experimental_Machine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIVAC_I
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_701
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z1_(computer)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atanasoff%E2%80%93Berry_Computer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Mark_I
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC#Reliability
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Small-Scale_Experimental_Machine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIVAC_I
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_701