Computer History Myths
Debunked
Dr. Wayne Summers
TSYS School of Computer Science
Columbus State University
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
"History of Computing at Oxford"
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3/23/2016
Part of the CSU in Oxford Summer Program
with field trips to sites around England (July
6-July 25, 2007).
Columbus State University
COURSE
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Book: Jacquard's Web : How a Hand-Loom Led
to the Birth of the Information Age by James
Essinger
Wiki: http://computer-history.pbwiki.com/
Blog: http://computer-history-csu.blogspot.com/
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Field Trips:
Videos:
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The Machine That Changed the World(1-5)
To Dream Tomorrow
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Field Trips
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3/23/2016
Oxford Museum of History of Science
London Museum of Science
Bletchley Park
Manchester Museum of Science and
Industry
Columbus State University
The Myths
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Myth #1: Joseph-Marie Jacquard invented the punched
card
Myth #2: Charles Babbage built the first computer
Myth #3: The Difference Engine was not completed
because of inadequate tools in the 19th Century and/or lack
of funds
Myth #4: Ada Lovelace was the first computer programmer
Myth #5: Herman Hollerith independently “invented” the
punch cards
Myth #6: Howard Aiken and other computer designers of
the “modern era” were not influenced by Babbage
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Myth #1: Joseph-Marie Jacquard
invented the punched card
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On 23 Dec. 1800, he registered a patent for a machine
“designed to replace the draw-boy in the manufacture of
figured fabrics”.
Jacques de Vaucanson is credited with creating the
world's first true robots, as well as creating the first
completely automated loom (1740).
In 1728, Jean Falcon built a loom that used punched cards
In 1725, Basile Bouchon invented a way to control a loom
with a perforated paper tape. The son of an organ maker,
he adapted the concept of music automata controlled by
pegged cylinders to the repetitive task of weaving.
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Jacquard’s Loom
London Museum of Science
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Myth #2: Charles Babbage built the
first computer
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Charles Babbage did design the Difference
Engine and the Analytical Engine (neither were
completed by him)
“My God, Herschel! How I wish these calculations
could be executed by steam.”[1821]
In 1824, Babbage won the Gold Medal of the
Royal Astronomical Society "for his invention of
an engine for calculating mathematical and
astronomical tables".
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
London Museum of Science
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Babbage’s Difference Engine (1822-1849) [original piece]
2/3 of Babbage’s Brain
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Myth #3: The Difference Engine was not
completed because of inadequate tools in the 19th
Century and/or lack of funds
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Babbage had access to one of the best toolmakers
of the day – Joseph Clement who did build a small
prototype by 1822
Per Georg Scheutz and son built a small difference
engine machine in 1843
Difference Engine in the London Science Museum
was built to Babbage’s specs with 19th century
tools (1985-1991)
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
London Museum of Science
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3/23/2016
Per Georg Scheutz’s Difference Engine
Recreation of Difference Engine for shipment to California
(2007)
Columbus State University
Myth #3: The Difference Engine was not
completed because of inadequate tools in the 19th
Century and/or lack of funds
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By 1834, he had received £17,470 (enough to build two
battleships) to build the Difference Engine, but starting to
design the Analytical Engine
By 1834, he had started work on the Analytical Engine
(using punched cards to store data and instructions was
able to perform calculations automatically)
Told Sir Robert Peel that he had stopped work on the
Difference Engine so that he could build the Analytical
Engine
Columbus State University
3/23/2016
Charles Babbage – Father of Computing
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1791 - 1871
formed the Analytical
Society in 1812
Lucasian Professor
of Mathematics at
Cambridge (1828 to
1839)
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Charles Babbage – Father of Computing
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On two occasions I have been asked, – "Pray,
Mr. Babbage," if you put into the machine
wrong figures, will the right "answers come
out?" In one case a member of the Upper,
and in the other a member of the Lower,
House put this question. I am not able rightly
to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas
that could provoke such a question.
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Charles Babbage – Father of Computing
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Counted all the broken panes of glass of a factory,
publishing in 1857 a "Table of the Relative Frequency of
the Causes of Breakage of Plate Glass Windows": 14 of
464 were caused by "drunken men, women or boys".
His distaste for commoners ("the Mob") included writing
"Observations of Street Nuisances" in 1864, as well as
tallying up 165 "nuisances" over a period of 80 days; he
especially hated street music.
Obsessed with fire, once baking himself in an oven at
265°F (130°C) for four minutes "without any great
discomfort" to "see what would happen."
Later, he arranged to be lowered into Mount Vesuvius in
order to view molten lava for himself.
Columbus State University
3/23/2016
Myth #4: Ada Lovelace was the first
computer programmer
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Analytical Engine was never built
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Published a translation of Menabrea’s paper
describing the Analytical Engine along with her own
seven Notes (A-G) (1842-1843)
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[http://www.fourmilab.ch/babbage/sketch.html]
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Myth #5: Herman Hollerith independently
“invented” the punch cards
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His brother-in-law was in the silk-weaving business
and had discussed the Jacquard loom with him
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“Hollerith never pretended to have invented
punched cards himself” [Essinger]
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“His basic patents always encompassed the use of
punched cards in combination with his machines”
[Essinger]
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Myth #6: Howard Aiken and other computer
designers of the “modern era” were not
influenced by Babbage
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Which was the first computer?
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3/23/2016
Difference Engine (1843) / Analytical
Engine
Atanasoff–Berry Computer (1937-1941)
Zuse’s Z3 (1941)
Collusus (1943-1944)
Eniac (1943-1946)
IBM Harvard Mark I (1944)
Manchester Baby (1948) / Mark I
Columbus State University
Babbage’s Difference Engine II
with printer (built 1991)
3/23/2016
London Museum of ScienceColumbus State University
Analytical Engine piece
(designed 1837-1871)
London Museum of Science
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Colossus
Bletchley Park
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Manchester “Baby” Replica
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3/23/2016
Manchester Museum of Science and Industry
Columbus State University
Trick question:
What was the
average weight
of a computer in
the early 1940’s?
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
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If the Analytical Engine had been built, it would have been
in many ways more advanced than some of the first
computers that emerged in the 1940s. It would have been
digital, programmable and Turing complete.
However, it would have been very slow. Ada Lovelace
reported in her notes on the Analytical engine: "Mr.
Babbage believes he can, by his engine, form the product
of two numbers, each containing twenty figures, in three
minutes".
By comparison the Harvard Mark I could perform the same
task in just six seconds. A modern PC can do the same
thing in well under a billionth of a second.
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
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Columbus State University
References
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Jacquard's Web : How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the
Information Age by James Essinger
Sketch of The Analytical Engine With notes by the Translator Ada
Augusta, Countess Of Lovelace
History of Modern Computing by Paul Ceruzzi
The Machine That Changed the World(1-5) – PBS Nova videos
To Dream Tomorrow – Flare Productions video
….
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
“We may say most aptly that the
Analytical Engine weaves algebraic
patterns just as the Jacquard-loom
weaves flowers and leaves.”
Ada Augusta, Countess Of Lovelace (October 1842)
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
"history of computer" in Malaysia
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3/23/2016
Established in 1971, Computer
Systems Advisers (M) Berhad (CSA),
a member of Computer Sciences
Corporation
1980 - Advanced Microcomputers Pte
Ltd (AMCOM) was incorporated
Columbus State University
"history of computer" in Malaysia
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Jun 18, 1990 - A young bank executive broke into
his bank's computer security system and stole
nearly $1.5 million in Malaysia's biggest case of
computer fraud, police said today. The executive
attracted suspicion when he bought a red
Lamborghini, three Porsches and a MercedesBenz
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
"history of computer" in Malaysia
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Oct 1, 1990 - Protection of computer programs or
compilations of computer programs is available
under the Copyright Act. On 1 October 1990,
Malaysia acceded to the Berne Convention and
enacted regulations which effectively extended
copyright protection in Malaysia
3/23/2016
Columbus State University
Questions?
Dr. Wayne Summers
TSYS School of Computer Science
Columbus State University
Columbus, GA
wsummers@ColumbusState.edu
3/23/2016
Columbus State University