History of Computing Quiz 1943

Early Computing Developments

• Significant advancements in computing began in 1939 at Harvard University with IBM’s support for a modernized Analytical Engine project.
• First electromechanical computer was recognized in 1944, capable of automatic scientific computations using punched tapes.

Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC)

• Invented by Professor John Atanasoff and student Clifford Berry from 1939-1942 at Iowa State University.
• Notable as the first electronic digital computing device weighing 700 lbs (320 kg).
• Featured a memory capacity of 3000 bits and utilized over 300 vacuum tubes at a frequency of 60 Hz for processing.

ENIAC

• Stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, designed by John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert during World War II.
• Recognized as the first electronic digital computer; its architecture laid groundwork for future computing.
• Mauchly and Eckert formed a company post-war, creating the Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC), the first commercial computer sold to the US Census Bureau in 1951.

EDVAC

• The Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer is hailed as the first stored-program computer.
• Idea introduced by Hungarian-American mathematician John von Neumann in 1945, promoting program storage in memory similar to data storage.
• This concept became the foundation for modern computer designs.

Osborne 1

• Released by Osborne Computer Company in 1981, this was the first portable computer, marking a significant leap in personal computing.

Electric Controls Company

• Founded in 1949 by John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, recognized as the first computer company.

Personal Computers (1970-1979)

• Development of personal computers commenced in the 1970s, spurred by the introduction of the Altair 8800, Scelbi-8H, and Apple computers.
• Bill Gates and Paul Allen developed BASIC programming for Microsoft, while Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computer in 1972.
• By 1977, popular models included Apple II, Atari, Commodore, and TRS-80, widely used in homes, schools, and businesses.

Business Computers (1980-1987)

• IBM expanded into the personal computer market, focusing on business applications.
• Manufacturers enhanced digital microcomputers tailored for business needs and graphical environments.

Modern Computers (1988-Present)

• Transitioned to smaller computers with greater storage capabilities.
• Innovations included laptops, computer notebooks, programmable calculators, modems, email, networking, and multimedia technologies.

Notable Early Inventions

• Jacquard Loom: Invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in 1801; automated loom operated via punched cards.
• Arithmometer: The first commercially successful calculating machine created by Thomas de Colmar in 1820.
• Difference Engine: Charles Babbage’s 1822 invention designed for automatic polynomial calculations.
• Analytical Engine: Proposed by Babbage in 1834, considered the first mechanical computer with general-purpose capabilities.
• Augusta Ada Byron: Acknowledged as the first computer programmer for writing algorithms for the Analytical Engine in 1840.
• Scheutzian Calculation Engine: An 1843 creation by Per Georg Scheutz based on the Difference Engine, recognized as the first printing calculator.
• Tabulating Machine: Invented in 1890 by Hermen Hollerith, utilized punch cards to automate data processing for the US Census Bureau and led to the formation of IBM.
• Mark 1: Developed by Howard H. Aiken, further contributing to early computing technology.

Test your knowledge of the significant advancements in computing history, particularly the development of the first electromechanical computer. This quiz covers key events at Harvard University and the contributions of IBM and Babbage's Analytical Engine.