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The History of Computers

The history of computers dates back to the abacus around 2700 B.C., with Charles Babbage recognized as the 'Father of Computers' for his creation of the Analytical Engine in 1837. The evolution continued with the invention of the transistor in 1947, leading to smaller and faster computers, including the first personal computer in 1971 and the first laptop in 1981. The 1990s marked a significant boom in computer history, particularly with the advent of the World Wide Web in 1989.

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Luigi Caminade
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42 views1 page

The History of Computers

The history of computers dates back to the abacus around 2700 B.C., with Charles Babbage recognized as the 'Father of Computers' for his creation of the Analytical Engine in 1837. The evolution continued with the invention of the transistor in 1947, leading to smaller and faster computers, including the first personal computer in 1971 and the first laptop in 1981. The 1990s marked a significant boom in computer history, particularly with the advent of the World Wide Web in 1989.

Uploaded by

Luigi Caminade
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

LUIGI D.

CAMINADE BIT 1C-DAY

HISTORY OF COMPUTERS

The history of computers goes back thousands of years with the first one being the abacus. In fact, the
earliest abacus, referred to as the Sumerian abacus, dates back to roughly 2700 B.C. from the
Mesopotamia region. However, Charles Babbage, the English mathematician and inventor is known as
the “Father of Computers.” He created a steam-powered computer known as the Analytical Engine in
1837 which kickstarted computer history. The very first computer, the abacus, is a digital computer
because it deals in digits. Today’s computers are also digital because they compute everything using
binary: 0’s and 1’s. However, most of the computers between the time of the abacus and modern
transistor-based computers were in fact analog computers. Analog computers, rather than calculating
single digits, deal with more complex mathematics and functions. Rather than 1’s and 0’s, analog
computers are more often represented by continuously varying quantities. The earliest analog
computer, the Antikythera mechanism, is over 2000 years old. These ancient computers paved the way
for modern transistor-based computers. The history of computers goes back as far as 2500 B.C. with the
abacus. However, the modern history of computers begins with the Analytical Engine, a steam-powered
computer designed in 1837 by English mathematician and “Father of Computers,” Charles Babbage. Yet,
the invention of the transistor in 1947, the integrated circuit in 1958, and the microprocessor in 1971
are what made computers much smaller and faster. In fact, the first personal computer was invented in
1971, the same year as the microprocessor. Then, the first laptop, the Osborne-1 was created a decade
later in 1981. Apple and IBM joined the personal computer industry shortly thereafter, popularizing the
home PC. Then, when the world wide web came online in 1989, which would eventually serve to
connect nearly the whole world. The 1990s was a booming decade for computer history.

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