History Of Computer

July 16, 2009

450 bc

Stones and pebbles-introduced by the Greek as “counting aids” and will return in this form as a means to count similar to an Abacus (around 50 bc) in the Roman Empire. It spread through Europe.In Western Europe these counting boards stay in use for a pretty long time but gradually one starts to use the indo-Arabic notation of numbers: “0123456789″. (+/- 1200).

 

 ca.800

Muhammed idn Musa Al-Khwarizmi - born in 780 A.D. and died in 850 A.D. He was an Arabic mathematician who introduced the Hindu decimal system and the use of zero into Arabic mathematics. He also extended the work of Diophantis on algebraic equations in a book, the title which included the word al-jabr (transposition) from which the modern word algebra is derived.

 

1594 Lord John Napier (1550-1617) -from Merchiston (Scotland), thought to practice black arts. Develops the Natural Logarithm (ln). He also invents a kind of mechanical calculator the famous Napier Bones and writes about it in his Rabdologica. Now it was rather simple to multiply.  His best known implement however is or are the so called “bones” this is an aid to multiplication. But maybe the chessboard calculator is the most ingenious and least known.

 

1726

Jonathan Swift (England) -describes a machine that writes books automatically in: Gulliver’s Travels.  A revolutionary idea that even in the 21st century is not yet fully realized.

1727

Antonius Braun (Austria) -develops in this year the first calculator with the four basis calculations: add - subtract - multiply and divide.

 

 

 

 

1822 Charles Babbage -designs a calculator. It should be operated by punched cards (see Jacquard 1801) and the results printed on paper.

Mechanical (tolerances), financial (subsidies) and differences of opinion with his chief engineer  - Joseph Clement a tool engineer and draftsman, a rare combination in these days - are causing the project to be shelved in 1833. But the concept of the machine is of course extremely advanced and probably too far out of most peoples league  for this days to even think about. Or let alone conceptualize.
In 1990-1991 Reg Crick en Barry Holliday - two engineers of the Science museum in London - will reconstruct the calculating section of the Difference Engine.

 

1834

It was at this point, 1834, that Babbage had an idea for a completely different machine — one that would operate more rapidly and have far more extensive powers than the Difference Engine.

For basic elements are:

- Input unit
- The ALU or Algorithmic Unit
- Central controller
- Output unit

With his experience with the difference engine he knows that to build a machine like that the funding must come from his private funds. He succeeds in building a  small model of the Analytical Engine.They had spent 17,000 pounds with nothing to show.

 

  1886

Herman Hollerith (USA) -constructs the first “electro mechanical adding and sorting machine”. He wins the contest and his machine will be used with the census in 1890. The machine is ready with the data processing one whole year before anything done by hand would have been ready. Off course this establishes the fame of automation and people become convinced of the speed and accuracy of machines like that. Hollerith will found Tabulating and Recording Company. This company, with other mergers as well, will become the IBM company.

 

 

 1924

IBM is officially founded from the Computing Tabulating Recording Company.