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When was the first computer invented?

There is no easy answer to this question due to the many different

classifications of computers. The first mechanical computer, createdby Charles Babbage in 1822, doesn't really resemble what most would

consider a computer today. Therefore, this document has been created

with a listing of each of the computer firsts, starting with the

ifference !ngine and leading up to the computers we use today.

Note: !arly in"entions which helped lead up to the computer, such as

the abacus,calculator, and tablet machines, are not accounted for in this

document.

The word "computer" was first used

The word #computer# was first recorded as being used in 1$1% and originally

was used to describe a human who performed calculations or computations.

The definition of a computer remained the same until the end of the 1&th

century, when the industrial re"olution ga"e rise to machines whose primary

purpose was calculating.

First mechanical computer or automatic computing engineconcept

n 1822, Charles Babbage conceptuali(ed and began de"eloping

the ifference !ngine, considered to be the first automatic computing

machine. The ifference !ngine was capable of computing se"eral sets of

numbers and ma)ing hard copies of the results. Babbage recei"ed some help

with de"elopment of the ifference !ngine from *da +o"elace, considered by

many to be the first computer programmer for her wor) and notes on the

ifference !ngine. nfortunately, because of funding, Babbage was ne"er

able to complete a full-scale functional "ersion of this machine. n une

of 1&&1, the +ondon /cience 0useum completed the ifference !ngine o 2

for the bicentennial year of Babbage's birth and later completed the printing

mechanism in 2.

n 18%3, Charles Babbage proposed the first general

mechanical computer, the Analytical Engine. The *nalytical !ngine

contained an *rithmetic +ogic nit 4*+5, basic flow control, and

integrated memory and is the first general-purpose computer concept.

nfortunately, because of funding issues, this computer was also ne"er built

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while Charles Babbage was ali"e. n 1&1, 6enry Babbage, Charles

Babbage's youngest son, was able to complete a portion of this machine and

was able to perform basic calculations.

First programmable computer The Z1 was created by 7erman onrad 9use in his parents' li"ing room

between 1&%$and 1&%8. t is considered to be the first electro-

mechanical binary programmable computer, and the first really functional

modern computer.

First concepts of what we consider a modern computer 

The Turing machine was first proposed by *lan Turing in 1&%$ and became

the foundation for theories about computing and computers. The machine

was a de"ice that printed symbols on paper tape in a manner that emulated

a person following a series of logical instructions. :ithout these

fundamentals, we wouldn't ha"e the computers we use today.

The first electric programmable computer 

The Colossus was the first electric

programmable computer, de"eloped by Tommy ;lowers, and first

demonstrated in ecember1&<%. The Colossus was created to help the

British code brea)ers read encrypted 7erman messages.

The first digital computer 

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/hort for Atanasoff-Berry Computer, theABC began de"elopment by

=rofessor ohn >incent *tanasoff  and graduate student Cliff Berry in 1&%3.

ts de"elopment continued until 1&<2 at the owa /tate College 4now owa

/tate ni"ersity5.The *BC was an electrical computer that used "acuum tubes for digital

computation, including binary math and Boolean logic and had no C=. ?n

?ctober 1&, 1&3%, the / ;ederal udge !arl @. +arson signed his decision

that the !*C patent by . =resper !c)ert and ohn 0auchly was in"alid and

named *tanasoff the in"entor of the electronic digital computer.

The ENIAC was in"ented by . =resper !c)ert and ohn 0auchly at the

ni"ersity of =ennsyl"ania and began construction in 1&<% and was not

completed until 1&<$. t occupied about 1,8 square feet and used about

18, "acuum tubes, weighing almost A tons. *lthough the udge ruled

that the *BC computer was the first digital computer, many still consider the

!*C to be the first digital computer because it was fully functional.

The first stored program computer 

The early British computer )nown as the EDSAC is considered to be the first

stored program electronic computer. The computer performed its first

calculation on 0ay $,1&<& and was the computer that ran the first graphical

computer game, nic)named #Baby#.

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*round the same time, the Manchester Mar 1 was another computer that

could run stored programs. Built at the >ictoria ni"ersity of 0anchester, the

first "ersion of the 0ar) 1 computer became operational in *pril 1&<&. 0ar)

1 was used to run a program to search for 0ersenne primes for nine hours

without error on une 1$ and 13 that same year.

The first computer company

The first computer company was the Electronic Controls Company and

was founded in1&<& by . =resper !c)ert and ohn 0auchly, the same

indi"iduals who helped create the !*C computer. The company was later

renamed to !0CC or !c)ert-0auchly Computer Corporation and released a

series of mainframe computers under the >*C name.

First stored program computer 

;irst deli"ered to the nited /tates go"ernment

in 1&A, the!NI"AC 11#1 or E$A 11#1 is considered to be the first

computer that was capable of storing and running a program from memory.

First commercial computer 

n 1&<2, onrad 9use begin wor)ing on the Z% that later became the first

commercial computer. The computer was sold to !duard /tiefel, a

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mathematician of the /wiss ;ederal nstitute of Technology 9urich on uly

12, 1&A.

IBM's first computer 

?n *pril 3, 1&A% B0 publicly introduced the &#1 its first commercial

scientific computer.

The first computer with !M

0T introduces the 'hirl(in) machine on 0arch 8, 1&AA, a re"olutionary

computer that was the first digital computer with magnetic core @*0 and

real-time graphics.

The first transistor computer 

The T-? 4Transistori(ed !Dperimental

computer5 is the first transistori(ed computer to be demonstrated at the

0assachusetts nstitute of Technology in1&A$.

The first minicomputer 

n 1&$, igital !quipment Corporation released its first of many ==

computers, the ==-1.

The first massmar#et and des#top computer 

n 1&$8, 6ewlett =ac)ard began mar)eting the first mass-mar)eted =C and

the firstdes)top computer, the *+ ,1##A.

The first wor#station

*lthough it was ne"er sold, the first wor)station is considered to be

the ero. Alto, introduced in 1&3<. The computer was re"olutionary for its

time and included a fully functional computer, display, and mouse. The

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computer operated li)e many computers today

utili(ing windows, menus and icons as an interface to its operating system.

0any of the computer's capabilities were first demonstrated in The 0other of 

*ll emos byouglas !ngelbart on ecember &, 1&$8.The first microprocessor 

ntel introduces the first microprocessor, the Intel %##% on o"ember 1A,

1&31.

The first microcomputer 

The >ietnamese-;rench engineer, *ndrE Truong Trong Thi, along with

;rancois 7ernelle, de"eloped the Micral computer in 1&3%. Considered as

the first #micro-computer#, it used the ntel 88 processor and was the first

commercial non-assembly computer. t originally sold for F1,3A.

The first personal computer 

n 1&3A, !d @oberts coined the term #personal computer# when he

introduced the Altair//##. *lthough the first personal computer is

considered by many to be the 0ENBA0-1, which was first introduced for

F3A in 1&31. The computer relied on a series of switches for inputting dataand output data by turning on and off a series of lights.

The first laptop or portable computer 

The IBM 1## is the first portable computer, which

was released on /eptember 1&3A. The computer weighed AA pounds and

had a fi"e inch C@T display, tape dri"e, 1.&06( =*+0 processor, and $<B of 

@*0. n the picture is an ad of the B0 A1 ta)en from a o"ember 1&3A

issue of /cientific *merica.

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The first truly portable computer or laptop is considered to be the 2s3orne

I, which was released on *pril 1&81 and de"eloped by *dam ?sborne. The

?sborne weighed 2<.A pounds, had a A-inch display, $< B of memory, two

A 1G<# floppy dri"es, ran theC=G0 2.2 operating system, included a modem,and cost /F1,3&A.

The B0 =C i"ision 4=C5 later released the B0 portable in 1&8<, it's first

portable computer that weighed in at % pounds. +ater in 1&8$, B0 =C

announced it's firstlaptop computer, the +C Con4erti3le, weighing 12

pounds. ;inally, in 1&&<, B0 introduced the B0 Thin)=ad 33AC, the first

noteboo) with an integrated C-@?0.

The first !pple computer 

The Apple I 4Apple 15 was the first *pple computer that originally sold for

F$$$.$$. The computer )it was de"eloped by /te"e :o(nia) in 1&3$ and

contained a $A2 8-bit processor and < )b of memory, which was

eDpandable to 8 or <8 )b using eDpansion cards. *lthough the *pple had a

fully assembled circuit board the )it still required apower

supply, display, )eyboard, and case to be operational. Below is a picture of

an *pple from an ad"ertisement by *pple.

The first IBM personal computer 

B0 introduced its first personal computer

called the IBM +C in 1&81. The computer was code named and still

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sometimes referred to as the Acorn and had a 888processor, 1$ B of

memory, which was eDpandable to 2A$ and utili(ed 0/-?/.

The first $% clone

The Compa5 +orta3le is considered to be the first =C clone and was

release in 0arch 1&8% by Compaq. The Compaq =ortable was 1H

compatible with B0 computers and was capable of running any software

de"eloped for B0 computers.• See the below other computer companies frst or other IBM compatible

computers

The first multimedia computer 

n 1&&2, Tandy @adio /hac) became one of the first companies to release acomputer based on the 0=C standard with its introduction of the 02A +G2

and 0<2 / computers.

&ther computer company firsts

Below is a listing of some of the maIor computers companies first

computers.

Commo)ore - n 1&33, Commodore introduced its first computer, the

#Commodore =!T#.

Compa5 - n 0arch 1&8%, Compaq released its first computer and the first

1H B0 compatible computer, the #Compaq =ortable.#

Dell - n 1&8A, ell introduced its first computer, the #Turbo =C.#

*e(lett +acar) - n 1&$$, 6ewlett =ac)ard released its first general

computer, the #6=-211A.#

NEC - n 1&A8, !C builds its first computer, the #!*C 111.#

6oshi3a - n 1&A<, Toshiba introduces its first computer, the #T*C# digitalcomputer.