The History of Computers, Part 1

The History of Computers, Part 1

By Paul Evans

The History of Computers, Part 1

​Depending on how you define "computer", there are many different possible answers to the question "when was the first computer made?"

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Remember, we asked you to write down when and where you thought the first computer was made, and what it might have looked like. What did you say?​

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In the next few slides, you'll see some different possible answers.

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History of Computers, Part 1

Open Ended

Describe when YOU think the first computer was made and what it might have looked like?

History of Computers, Part 1

Multiple Choice

One of the earliest forms of calculating devices (some people call this the "first computer") was the abacus.

When and where was it invented?

• In France, during the 18th Century, and modernised in America during the 1920s

• In the Middle East, around 2500 BCE, and updated in China during the 13th Century

• In the England, around 1640, and updated in France during the 19th Century

• In the ancient Rome, around 500 CE, and updated in England during the 19th Century

Multiple Choice

Name two early examples of mechanical calculators

• John Napier who in the 1500s invented Napier's Rods, and Blaise Pascal who in 1642 invented a mechanical calculator

• Jacques Picard who invented underwater submarines and Jacques Kallis, the famous South African inventor

• Jean Luc Picard who invented the Roddenberry, and Ben Napier who invented Laurel Mercantile

• Pascal Siakam, who invented the Cameroon dribble, and Blaise Matuidi who invented the forward pass

Multiple Choice

What did Joseph Jacquard invent, and when?

• The Loom Towel, in 1915

• The Punch Card Broom, in 1828

• The Punch Card Loom, in 1801

• The Jacquard Press in 1803

Remember that this is a good description of a computer

Definition of a computer

Fill in the Blank

Let's see how well you remember that definition.

How would YOU define a computer? (Fill in the missing word...)

An ...... device capable of storing and processing information

Fill in the Blank

Now, what's missing work from the last bit of that sentence...

A computer is an electronic device capable of storing and processing information in accordance with a predetermined set of ....

Multiple Choice

What are the two machines that Charles Babbage invented (the first of which was never really finished and the second of which was never even built)

• The Slide Rule and Napier's Rods

• The Acer TravelMate P, and the iPhone 9

• The Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine

• The Jacquard Loom and the printing press

Multiple Choice

Who was the genius who helped generate the idea that the punch cards from Jacquard's Loom could be used to program the Analytical Engine to do many many different things, and who wrote algorithms (or programs) for this to potentially work.

• Ada Lovelace

• John Napier

• Blaise Pascal

• Lord Byron

Multiple Choice

In 1890, Herman Hollerith invented a "Tabulating Machine" (that also cleverly used punch cards) that could calculate large numbers quickly. What event was it designed to help people manage?

• The 1890 American census

• The 1890 American World Fair

• The 1890 American World Series

• The 1890 American Civil War

Multiple Choice

When was ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), the world's first programmable general-purpose electronic digital computer, completed and used for the first time?

• 1890

• 1977

• 1946

• 1954