Overview
The lecture introduces the early history of computing, covering its main eras, significant inventions, and pioneers, and emphasizes the value of understanding how technology evolved into modern computers.
Importance of Studying Computer History
- Studying computer history helps us understand current technology and predict its future direction.
- Recognizes and pays tribute to inventors and innovators in computing.
- Reveals how computers evolved from simple to complex machines.
Four Basic Periods of Computing History
- Pre-Mechanical Age (3000 BC–1450 AD)
- Mechanical Age (1450–1840)
- Electro-Mechanical Age (1840–1940)
- Electronic Age (1940–present)
Pre-Mechanical Age Highlights
- Writing systems included petroglyphs (rock carvings), ideographs (symbols for ideas), and Kunai form/cuneiform (first written language).
- Phoenicians created the first alphabet; Greeks and Romans adapted it, leading to our modern alphabet.
- Writing materials: Sumerians used clay, Egyptians used papyrus, Chinese used rags.
- Data storage was in books, libraries, and scrolls.
- Egyptian numbering used lines, circles (for 10), coiled ropes (for 100), and lotus blossom (for 1000).
- Hindu numeral system introduced zero in 875 AD.
- The abacus, invented by Babylonians and popularized by the Chinese, served as the first adding machine.
Mechanical Age Highlights
- Johannes Gutenberg invented movable metal type printing.
- John Napier developed logarithms and Napier’s Bones for calculation.
- Wilhelm Schickard created the first 6-digit calculator.
- William Oughtred invented the slide rule.
- Blaise Pascal invented the Pascaline (addition and subtraction calculator).
- Gottfried Leibniz invented the Step Reckoner (16-digit multiplication/division).
- Joseph Marie Jacquard created the automated loom using punch cards.
- Charles Xavier Thomas de Colmar mass-produced the arithmometer (calculator).
- Charles Babbage developed the Difference Engine and Analytical Engine (first automatic, steam-powered computers).
- Ada Lovelace is recognized as the first programmer.
Electro-Mechanical Age Highlights
- Alessandro Volta invented the first electric battery (voltaic pile).
- Samuel Morse invented the telegraph and Morse code.
- Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
- Guglielmo Marconi discovered radio waves.
- George Boole developed Boolean algebra (binary logic).
- Herman Hollerith invented a punch card machine for census data, leading to the formation of IBM.
- Otto Steiger invented the “Millionaire” four-function calculator.
- Lee De Forest invented the vacuum tube.
Electronic Age Highlights
- Konrad Zuse built the first programmable computer (Z3).
- Howard Aiken developed the Mark I, the first stored program computer.
- John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry completed the ABC, the first electronic computer.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Petroglyphs — Symbols carved into rock by early humans.
- Ideograph — Symbol representing an idea or concept.
- Kunai form/Cuneiform — First written language and information system.
- Abacus — Ancient counting device for arithmetic operations.
- Boolean Algebra — Mathematical system of binary logic used in computers.
- Punch Card — Early data storage medium using holes to represent information.
- Vacuum Tube — Electronic component used to amplify or switch signals.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the eras, inventions, and key figures in computing history.
- Watch the provided class video for further review.
- Prepare for next lesson on the technological advances of the electronic age.