Guide to Computing
WHEN WAS THE FIRST computer made? The answer depends on your
definition of computer.
Ancients used tally sticks as counting devices from about 35,000 B.C.
The Babylonians invented the abacus, an ancient pocket calculator of sorts
that did mathematical computations, some five millennia ago. The first
modern computers go back to the late 1930s and early 1940s, including the
27-ton ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer).
And what about the first computer bug? In 1945, a moth reportedly
flew into a computer at the Naval Weapons Center in Dahlgren, Virginia.
The critter was taped into the logbook alongside the official report, which
stated: “First actual case of a bug being found.” A
30 Health tips for your PC
32 Choosing the right PC
36 Quad-core processors
37 The latest in LCDs
38 A CD, DVD primer
