MadSci Network: Computer Science |
Corey, it depends on you definition of computer. During the Renaissance (1600's) calculators were made that ran on steam or water. Later, a loom was made to sew a particular pattern based on a punch card that was inserted.Getting more to the modern times, Hitler and his armies were notorious for code machines that could compute and derive coding for mesages. If you are looking for a "universal computing machine" or a computer that was designed for multiple tasks, not just one... I would give credit to a gentleman named Alan Turing. He invented an universal computing machine in 1936. Administrators note: Also, the first modern, electronic computer - ENIAC - was used in the Manhattan Project. It performed the first Monte Carlo simulations - the name was coined in association with that use on ENIAC.
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