Did you know that the first computers were women? The term computer was originally a job title, and these jobs were typically filled by women with math degrees. The mechanical ( and later electrical) contrivance was given the name computer because it was intended to replace these workers. Did you know that the first computer programmer was also a woman? But the computer for which she wrote her programs was never finished. This was because the time frame was the 1800's and the computer was going to be as big as a house and powered by 6 steam engines.
The history of the computer is truly stranger than fiction. Have a look at over 50 photos of the earliest successful and unsuccessful attempts at building an intelligent machine. You can download this illustrated history of computers using the hyperlink found at the bottom. In the meantime, three of the most famous early computers are pictured below. Can you name them?
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