Electronic computers or laptops are widely used today in all areas of life. So have you ever wondered what the first electronic computer looked like and who created it?

Introducing what an electronic computer is

Electronic computers are simply understood as electronic devices capable of storing and processing large data in a short time according to a set of commands pre-set inside the machine temporarily or permanently. The first computer produced had a much more complex size and structure than today’s computers, but the structure still had to include hardware (CPU, GPU, RAM, support devices). (mouse, keyboard, screen…)) and software (programming codes pre-installed on the hard drive or mainboard)

The types of electronic computers that you can easily come across today, in addition to desktop computers and laptops, also include tablets, smartphones, smartTVs, servers,…

What was the name of the first electronic computer?

The original purpose of this collaboration was to create a device capable of automatic electronic arithmetic analysis and calculation, called ENIAC, short for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator. Completely different from the shape and compactness of today’s electronic computers, ENIAC has such a huge size that it takes a whole 6 x 12m room to accommodate it.

The task that the first electronic computer had to undertake as soon as it appeared was to solve experimental problems for the thermonuclear explosion of the super Hydrogen bomb, serving to support the work of the artillery unit, aiming to war destination.

Some of the parameters of the ENIAC computer will certainly surprise you with its giantness, with a length of 20m, a height of 2.8m with 17,468 vacuum tubes, 10,000 batteries of electricity, and 1,500 relays. 70000 resistors and 5 million solder joints. The total weight is estimated to be up to 27 tons, so this is considered a “fortress without bullets, without explosions” but with high destructive efficiency.

In what year was the first electronic computer born?

The first electronic computer ENIAC was born in 1943-1944 during the outbreak of World War II and was the invention of two professors at the University of Pennsylvania in the US, J. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert. 

In the early stages, this electronic computer still did not have the support of storage memory but used a ten-position ring counter as the main control center. The operating principle of the ring counter is based on the idea of ​​​​the operating principle of the number wheel in mechanical adding machines.

After 1947, the ENIAC computer was improved for the first time, converting ROM storage programming to switch programming. After many improvements and developments, on the evening of October 2, 1955, ENIAC officially stopped all of its activities, marking the end of the first electronic computer and opening the launch pad for the development of new computer technology.

Where was the first electronic computer born?

The first electronic computer was born at the University of Pennsylvania in the US. To be exact, the machine was completed in 1945 and put into use on December 10, 1945.

However, it was not until 1946 that it was located at the University of Pennsylvania. ENIAC computers play an important role in data science and computing not only in America, but also in humanity. Thanks to its birth, scientists can research and develop new technologies. One of the typical achievements that cannot be ignored is the Apollo program and NASA’s exploration of the Moon.