The Creation of the Computer- Modern Marvels



In class, we watched The Creation of the Computer. The film traces the origins of the computer. It first discusses basic computer parts including the following: the moniter (display screen), a keyboard, a mouse, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit. Babbage, an Englishman, invented the analytical engine, laying the framework for the creation of the computer. Nearly one hundred years later, in 1890, a census machine was developed by Hollerath, using punch cards. German commanders would use the Enigma Machine to encrypt messages. The British learned how the machine worked and came up with Collosus. They were then able to decipher the messages. During WWII, Motley developped ENIAC, the first real computer. It was nearly 100 feet long. Jon von Neumann came up with the idea for the first modern computer. UNIVAC, was then developped and proved to be useful in predicting the outcome of a presidential election. Later, the transistor was invented, replacing vacuum tubes. Basically, this movie was awesome and now I know more about computers!