The Origin of Computers
Early History
The exact date of the invention of computers is difficult to pin down. Consider that the discovery of computers was originally linked to devices that were used to calculate:
. abacus
. slide rule
. comptometers
. key punch key to disk systems
Computer Evolution
Later, devices were used for data collection in astronomy and as the industrial age dawned for mechanical equipment to increase production. By the middle 1940's, development of what is recognized as a "computer" used binary and decimal numerical systems to "compute", though not all were programmable logic controlled. Beginning in Germany with Zuse's "Z" machines in 1941, and EDSAC, which introduced development of memory storage, the US military developed "ENIAC", one of the first computers with new design that included memory storage. ENIAC could be considered the first computer similar to today's computers.
Computers Develop With New Technology
By the 1970's computers evolved from vacuum tube technology to microprocessor circuitry. Hardware for computers grew smaller in size and required less space than original room-sized computers. As computers evolved, so did programmability and program languages. Fortran, a language that was used in the 1970's to transfer data to magnetic cards (mag card) facilitated the ease of faster data collection. Another computer program language used largely in the scientific fields was Pascal. Gradually by the late 1980's, computers and the program languages grew in sophistication. A computer's ability to store vast amounts of data created the development for larger computer memory storage up to the present gigabytes and terrabytes.
Harnessing the Power of Computer Technology
From room-sized, towering pieces of computing equipment to today's tiny all-purpose cell phones and personal assistant devices, the discovery of computers harnessed powerful computer technology advancing virtual reality devices used for medical, military and scientific advancements that appear limitless. The discovery of computers also advanced communication by the creation of the internet.