The History of Computers
Mechanical counting aids
• Man has always used counting aids since primitive times. Initially, people used their fingers, stones and even knots tied in ropes for counting. The abacus was invented by the Chinese in the 13th century. It can be used for addition and subtraction.
The Father of Computers
• Charles Babbage(1791-1871) is generally credited as the father of computers. He invented 2 mechanical computers called the difference engine and the analytical engine. Some of his ideas had been used in the construction of modern computers. Lady Lovelace Ada Augusta Byron(1815-1853) helped Charles Babbage write programs for his machine.
Early Development
• The other invention worth mentioning is the Mark-1 computer by Howard Aiken(1900-1973). Mark-1 was 51 feet long and 8 feet high. It used more then a million components and over 500 miles of electrical wire.
Electronic computers
• Computing aids invented before 1940 were all mechanical in nature. They wre slow and bulky. In the late 1940’s, computers were made using electronic components. The first electronic computer was called the ENIAC. It weighed about 30 tons and occupied a room of a threeroomed house.