| One of the greatest inventions of the time is | | | | Telecommunications Research Establishment. It |
| obviously the computer. Billions of people use | | | | was the first computer to use a stored program |
| computers in their daily life throughout the world. | | | | and it went live in 1948. The Manchester MARK I |
| Throughout decades, computer has evolved from | | | | went live in 1951 and showed tremendous |
| a very expensive and slow device to today's | | | | progress against computers. Researchers had |
| extremely smart machines with unbelievable | | | | found that there was a huge chance of |
| processing power. | | | | development for the computer. |
| No single person was credited with the invention | | | | The UNIVAC which stands for Universal |
| of computer, many believe that Konrad Zuse and | | | | Automatic Computer was built by the creators of |
| his Z1 machine was the first in a long line of | | | | ENIAC. It was the fastest and most innovative |
| innovations that gave us the computer of today. | | | | computer capable of handling many computations. |
| Konrad Zuse was a German who was famous for | | | | It was a masterpiece of its time and was praised |
| the creation of the first freely programmable | | | | by public. |
| mechanical computing device in 1936. Zuse's Z1 | | | | IBM is known for creating the first personal |
| was created with a focus on 3 basic elements | | | | computer widely affordable and available to the |
| that are still necessary in today's calculators. Later, | | | | people. IBM 701 was the first general purpose |
| Konrad Zuse created Z2 and the Z3. | | | | computer developed by IBM. The new computer |
| The first of the MARK series computers were | | | | language called FORTRAN was used in the new |
| being built at Harvard. The MARK I began in 1944 | | | | 701. Other IBM computers also followed like the |
| and this computer was huge filling in a room | | | | 704. The IBM 7090 also was a big success and it |
| having a size of 55 feet long by 8 feet high. The | | | | dominated business computers for the next 20 |
| MARK I could perform a wide variety of | | | | years. In the late 1970's and into 1980 IBM |
| calculations. It became a success and was utilized | | | | developed a personal computer known as the PC. |
| by the US Navy. It was in service till 1959. | | | | IBM has had a huge influence on the computers |
| The ENIAC computer was one of most important | | | | used today. |
| achievements in computing. It was commissioned | | | | In 1984, the Apple Macintosh was released and |
| during World War II and used by the US military. | | | | Apple computers dominated the market. It was |
| Vacuum tubes were used by this computer | | | | not a quick success. It went into production from |
| instead of electric motors and levers for fast | | | | January of 1984 to October of 1985. |
| calculations. Its speed was about thousand times | | | | With the growth of personal computer market in |
| faster than any other calculating device during | | | | the early and mid 1980s, many companies realized |
| that time. This computer was enormous and had | | | | that GUI or Graphical User Interface was user |
| a total cost of $500,000. The ENIAC was in | | | | friendly. This led to the development of an |
| operation till 1955. | | | | operating system called Windows by Microsoft. |
| RAM or Random Access Memory was first | | | | The first version was called Windows 1.0 and later |
| introduced in 1964. The first RAM was a metal | | | | came Windows 2.0 and 3.0 editions. Microsoft is |
| detector plate positioned close to a vacuum tube | | | | increasingly popular today. |
| which detected the difference in electrical charges. | | | | Today, computers are extremely powerful and |
| It was an easy way of storing computer | | | | more affordable than ever. They have practically |
| instructions. | | | | infiltrated into every aspect of our lives. It is used |
| There were plenty of innovations in the 1940s. | | | | as a powerful tool of communication and |
| The Manchester Baby was developed by | | | | commerce. The future is computer is tremendous. |