First-generation computers:1940-1956
The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuits and magnetic drums to store information. These computers were very big, sometimes taking up entire rooms. They use a lot of electricity and were very hard to operate. The electricity generated a lot of heat, which was the major cause for malfunctions. Machine language was used in first generation computers. It was the lowest-level programming language that was understood by computers. They could perform operations and sovle one problem at a time.
1. Bendix G-15 General Purpose Digital Computer
It was created in 1955 by the Bendix Corporation. It was useful because it was powerful, low cost, and easy to use. Unlike the other computers from this generation, this computer did not take up the whole room. The computer was used in a variety of fields- like aviation, crystallography, hydrology, etc.
2. ENIAC
ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer. It was created in 1945 by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert. It was created for computing WW2 ballistic firing tables. It was used mostly by the US Army. Other than ballistics, it was used in other scientific fields like weather predictions and atomic-energy calculations. This computer soon became obsolete as faster and more efficient computers were made.
3. UNIVAC
UNIVAC stands for UNIVersal Automatic Computer. This computer was also created by Eckert and Mauchly in 1951. The most famous one was the UNIVAC1, which became known for predictiong the USA presidental election in 1952. The prediction was way off though. The computer predict Eisenhower will win 8-7(the real prediction was 100-1). Eisenhower won the USA election by a huge landslide.
Charles Babbage
He was born on December 26, 1791 in London, England. He was one of the four children of Benjamin Babbage and Betsy Plumleigh Teape. He attended Trinity College at Cambridge and excel in math. Babbage invented a lot of machines which soon became the first mechanical computers. That is why he was nickname "Father of Computers". None of his inventions were actually complete because of the lack of funding. His inventions were used later to create the first computers. He died on October 18, 1871 in London, England.
The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuits and magnetic drums to store information. These computers were very big, sometimes taking up entire rooms. They use a lot of electricity and were very hard to operate. The electricity generated a lot of heat, which was the major cause for malfunctions. Machine language was used in first generation computers. It was the lowest-level programming language that was understood by computers. They could perform operations and sovle one problem at a time.
1. Bendix G-15 General Purpose Digital Computer
It was created in 1955 by the Bendix Corporation. It was useful because it was powerful, low cost, and easy to use. Unlike the other computers from this generation, this computer did not take up the whole room. The computer was used in a variety of fields- like aviation, crystallography, hydrology, etc.
2. ENIAC
ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer. It was created in 1945 by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert. It was created for computing WW2 ballistic firing tables. It was used mostly by the US Army. Other than ballistics, it was used in other scientific fields like weather predictions and atomic-energy calculations. This computer soon became obsolete as faster and more efficient computers were made.
3. UNIVAC
UNIVAC stands for UNIVersal Automatic Computer. This computer was also created by Eckert and Mauchly in 1951. The most famous one was the UNIVAC1, which became known for predictiong the USA presidental election in 1952. The prediction was way off though. The computer predict Eisenhower will win 8-7(the real prediction was 100-1). Eisenhower won the USA election by a huge landslide.
Charles Babbage
He was born on December 26, 1791 in London, England. He was one of the four children of Benjamin Babbage and Betsy Plumleigh Teape. He attended Trinity College at Cambridge and excel in math. Babbage invented a lot of machines which soon became the first mechanical computers. That is why he was nickname "Father of Computers". None of his inventions were actually complete because of the lack of funding. His inventions were used later to create the first computers. He died on October 18, 1871 in London, England.