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Pascaline
A mechanical calculator created by French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal which could perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. -
Leibniz Wheel
A more sophisticated mechanical calculator regarded as the first true four-function calculator -
Jacquard Loom
The first machine that had storage and programming. A fabric loom which performed automated tasks by the use of punched cards. -
Difference Engine
Invented by Charles Babbage, the Difference Engine was capable of solving Polynomial equations. -
Analytical Engine
The Analytical Engine created by Charles Babbage shares numerous similarities with modern computers, as it consists of four components essential to every computer: CPU, memory, reader and printer. -
Tabulating Machine
Invented by Herman Hollerith, the Tabulating Machine could read, tally and sort data on punched cards. -
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Z1
The Z1 was a general-purpose computer created by Konrad Zuse -
ABC (Atanasoff Berry Computer)
Invented by John Antanasoff and Clifford Berry, the ABC computer could solve systems of linear equations. -
Mark I
A huge protocomputer approximately 17m long 2.4m high, which weighted five tons, which provided vital calculation during the Second World War. The Mark I was followed by the Mark II-IV, with the Mark IV being a fully electronic computer -
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Colossus
The first programmable electronic computer created by a team led by Tommy Flowers. The Colossus was used for cryptanalysis as it was designed to help decipher the messages between Hitler and his generals during the Second World War -
ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator)
A general purpose electronic computer made by John Mauchly which used 18.000 vacuum tubes, was 30.5m long and 3m high, and weighted 30 tons. -
ENVAC
The first computer to be designed based on Von Neumann's concept, which proposed that data and instructions be stored in a uniform memory. -
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The First Generation
The first generation introduced costly commercial computers, affordable only by big organizations and used only by professionals. They were large, used vacuum tubes and were locked in rooms. -
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The Second Generation
The vacuum tubes were replaced by transistors, making the computers affordable to smaller corporations. High level programming languages like FORTRAN and COBOL were invented to make programming easier -
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The Third Generation
The integrated circuit and the chip were invented, making computers more affordable and smaller. The software industry was invented, which sold programs that corporations could use without having to write their own. -
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The Forth Generation
Desktop computers were invented, which helped popularize the computer. The first desktop computer became available in 1975 and the personal computer (PC) became available in 1981. Computer networks were also created. -
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The Fifth Generation
Laptops were invented, there were many improvements in secondary storage media (CD, ROM, DVD), the internet was popularized and Virtual Reality was invented. The smartphone was also invented, which was a pocket-sized computing device.