History of

Computer

How did it start?Long time ago, people had to work very hard to have something they want. They always look for ways to make their work faster and easier.

Since man is born with intelligence, he thought of ways that would make things easy for him. One of the problems encountered by man was counting the things he had. Because of this, he invented something that could help him count fast and easy.

Early Computing Devices

The AbacusAbout 4,000 years ago, the Chinese

invented the ABACUS. It is an adding tool that can help can you add & subtract numbers by moving beads back & forth on rods. The abacus was one of the earliest counting devise invented to help man solve his counting problems.

The Abacus

The Pascaline CalculatorIn 1642, Blaise Pascal, a French

mathematician, invented the Pascal calculator. This device, also known as the Pascaline, operated 8 movable dials, which could add numbers up to 8 figures long. It was used to perform simple arithmetic calculations. This device was limited to addition & subtraction only.

The Pascaline Calculator

Leibnitz CalculatorIn 1673, Gottfried Leibntiz, a

German mathematician & philosopher, enchanced the Pascaline by creating a device that could also multiply. It can even find the square root of number. The device was called the Leibnitz Calculator/ machine.

Leibnitz Calculator/Machine

Jacquard’s Automatic LoomIn 1801, Joseph-Marie

Jacquard, a Frenchman, invented the Jacquard’s loom. Jacquard’s loom used punch card to program pattern that were outputted as woven fabrics by the loom.

Jacquard’s Automatic Loom

Electro-Mechanical Computing Devices

Difference EngineIn 1822, Charles Babbage, a

British mathematician professor, invented the Difference Engine. Powered by steam & as large as a locomotive, the machine had the capacity to perform calculations & print the results.

Difference Engine

Analytical EngineIn, 1833, several years after

Babbage worked on the Difference Engine, he began working on the first general-purpose digital computer, which he called the Analytical Engine. This steam-powered engine outlined the basic elements of today’s modern general-purpose computer and was a breakthrough concept.

Analytical Engine

Electronic Computing

Devices

Hollerith’s Tabulating MachineIn 1889, Herman Hollerith, an

American inventor, invented the Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine . The machine was a punch card reader & had the capacity to store & process data. Hollerith brought his punch card reader into the business world, founding the Tabulating Machine Company which later became International Business Machine (IBM) in 1924.

Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine

Mark 1This all-electronic calculator was invented by Howard H. Aiken in 1930. This was used to create ballistic charts for the U.S. Navy. The Mark 1 is called the Harvard-IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator.

Mark 1

ENIACBetween 1943 and 1946, the

ENIAC or the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer was developed by John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly. This general purpose computer computed at a speed 1,000 times faster than the Mark 1.

ENIAC

EDVAC

Between 1947 & 1948, the EDVAC or the Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer was invented by John von Neumann. This invention had a Central Processing Unit (CPU), which allowed all computer functions to be coordinated through a single source.

EDVAC

UNIVAC 1

The 1948, the UNIVAC or the Universal Automatic Computer was manufactured by Remington Rand Corporation. This became one of the first commercially available computers to benefit from the various advances in computing.

UNIVAC 1

Computers Today

Supercomputers

Supercomputers are the most powerful computers made. Supercomputers are used to process huge amount of data for complex processes such as nuclear fission.

Supercomputers

Mainframe Computers

Mainframe computers are the largest among the computers in use today. Mainframe computers are used where many people in large organizations are frequently accessing similar information.

Mainframe Computers

Personal Computers

Personal Computers are the most common computers in use today.

A personal computer can be a desktop computer, a notebook or a laptop or a Personal Digital Assistant.

Personal Computers

Notebook or Laptop

Personal Digital Assistant