History of Computers Quiz

Early Computers

• Z1, developed by Konrad Zuse from 1936 to 1937, was the first programmable computer, using punch tape for input and output.
• COLOSSUS, developed by Alan Turing in 1943, was the first electronic computer, but it was a fixed-program computer and not programmable.
• ENIAC, developed by John Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly in 1946, was the first electronic general-purpose computer.
• UNIVAC 1, designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, was the first commercial computer.

Stored Program Computers

• EDVAC, designed by Von Neumann in 1952, was the first stored program computer, with a memory to hold both programs and data.
• IBM 650, introduced in 1954, was the first electronic computer for business.

Programming Languages

• From 1958 to 1962, several programming languages were developed, including FORTRAN, COBOL, LISP, ALGOL, and BASIC.

Personal Computers

• Apple I and Apple II, designed and built by Steve Wozniak in 1976-1977, made home computing practicable.
• MS-DOS Computer, introduced by IBM in 1981, was the first portable computer.
• Macintosh 128, introduced in 1984, was the first mass-produced computer with a Graphical User Interface.

Generations of Computers

• First Generation (1946-1959): Vacuum tube-based, used for memory and circuitry.
• Second Generation (1959-1965): Transistor-based, faster, smaller, and more reliable.
• Third Generation (1965-1971): Integrated Circuit-based, with multiple transistors and circuitry.
• Fourth Generation (1971-1980): Microprocessor-based, with VLSI circuits.

History of Computers

• Abacus, used in Babylonia in 500 B.C., was a mechanical device for performing mathematical calculations.
• Pascaline, developed by Blaise Pascal in 1642, was a mechanical calculator for addition and subtraction.
• Stepped Reckoner, developed by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1672, was a mechanical calculator for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
• Jacquard Loom, invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in 1801, was a mechanical loom controlled by punched cards.
• Difference Engine, designed by Charles Babbage in 1822 and 1834, was the first mechanical computer.
• Analytical Engine, developed by Charles Babbage in 1840, used the binary system and was programmable.
• Scheutzing Calculation Engine, developed by Per Georg Scheutz in 1843, was based on Charles Babbage's difference engine.
• Tabulating Machine, developed by Herman Hollerith in 1890, was used for summarizing information and accounting.
• Harvard Mark 1, developed by Howard H. Aiken in 1943, was the first electro-mechanical computer.