Early Computing

Antikyhera Mechanism

Created between 205 - 100 BCE First known analog computer

Charles Babbage (1791 - 1871)

Designed first programmable computer

Thomas Goldsmith and Estle Mann

Develop Casthode-Ray Tube Amusement Device Fire missiles at airplanes Prominent members of SMPTE

Bletchley Park and Colossus

Dorothy Du Boisson and Elsie Booker operate code-breaking Colossus Mk. 2 @ Bletchley Park, England 1944

Alan Turing ( 1912 - 1954)

English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist Developed the concepts of algorithm and computation. Considered father of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Created first Human vs. AI Chess match Arrested in 1952 for homosexuality Ate apple laced w/ cyanide and died

ARC (1947-1953)

First computer w/ Assembly Language Assembly written notably by Kathleen Booth

ENIAC (1946 - 1955)

First programmable Computer Programmers Betty Jean Jennings and Fran Bilas Six original programmers were women

Ralph Baer (1922 - 2014)

Fled Germany for US in 1938 Served in WWII in Military Intelligence Came up with idea of using principles of signal testing to create a game Joined Sanders Associates in 1956 Began developing game system there Brown Box was title Licensed to Magnavox in 1971, released in 1972 Saved Sanders from bankruptcy

Spacewar! Extra

Game distributed to all DEC PDP series computers DEC setup engineers used the game as diagnostic Inspired more game developers

William Higinbotham (1910 - 1994)

Head of electronics group at Los Alamos during WWII Worked at Brookhaven National Laborattory Created Tennis for Two 1958

Tech Model Railroad Club

MIT 1948 - Present Originally developed to automate processes Basically a DYI society and a wellspring of hackers MIT had received PDP 1 from DEC TMRC formed a committee to figure it out

First Computer Game

Nim Nimrod @ 1951 Festival of Britain Simple Strategy game similar to Mancala Impacted mathematicians Hugely popular @ Festival

Grace Hopper

Part of team for UNIVAC First programmers of Harvard Mark I Invented first compiler Popularized term debugging Developed COBOL language Retired as a Rear Admiral

Magnavox Odyssey

Released in 1972 Cost $100, expensive for time Poorly marketed, did not need Magnavox TV to use it Mix of Analog and Digital, battery powered Lack of audio, removable circuit cards

Early Commercial Computers

Remington Rand 409 Massive IBM Machine

Beyond the US and UK

Russia - MESM Israel - WEIZAC

Steve "Slug" Russel (1937 - present)

Studied at Dartmouth, then MIT Developed initial version of Spacewar! Game used realistic physics and a real star field

Lady Ada Byron Lovelace (1815 - 1852)

Translated Italian articles to English Wrote the first 'computer program' Credited as being the first computer programmer\ Has a lasting influence on many women in modern times