Antikythera Mechanism
Predates modern computers by over 2000 years.
Year Invented: Between 200 and 50 BCE
Country: Greece
Main Feature: Analogue Computation
Size: Around 14.3” (W) x 7.5” (D) x 5.2” (H)
Discovered in 1900 off coast of Greece. A device equipped with sophisticated gear system with 37 bronze wheels.
Complex analogue computer. Greek analogue computer, orrery used to predict astronomical positions, eclipses for astrological purposes. Could accurately measure calendar dates. Likely used to measure Olympic Games.
Harvard Mark 1 Computer
Year Invented: 1944
Country: USA
Main Feature: Electromechanical Computations
Size: 51’ (W) x 2’ (D) x 8’ (H)
Widely used to develop weapons of war in WWII. Development of radar, surveillance lenses, underwater detection, torpedoes. Assisted build of the atomic bomb.
Universal Automatic Computer 1 (UNIVAC 1)
Year Invented: 1951
Country: USA
Main Feature: Commercial
Size: 14’ (W) x 8’ (D) x 8.5’ (H)
First computer made for commercial use in United States. When people realised data-processing capabilities of machine, many businesses started purchasing this machine.
Predates Apple, Windows. Predicted 1952 Eisenhower election using a 1% sample.