Remembering the Manchester “Baby”: The First Electronic Digital Computer to Store a Program
In the early 1940s, as the Second World War raged, scientists in Britain’s Manchester were working on a revolutionary idea that would change the world forever — electronic computing. It was at this time that a group of brilliant engineers and scientists, led by Max Newman and Alan Turing, set out to build the world’s first electronic digital computer to store a program — the Manchester “Baby”
The “Baby” was an engineering marvel composed of metal racks, hundreds of valves and vacuum tubes, and a panel of vertically mounted hand-operated switches. It was a small-scale experimental machine built in six months using surplus parts from WWII-era code-breaking machines. But what made the “Baby” truly special was its ability to remember data through what we now know as Random Access Memory (RAM).
The approach taken by engineers Frederic Williams, Tom Kilburn, and Geoff Tootill was to build a prototype machine that would be able to store data electronically using cathode ray tubes. They were inspired by the idea of storing data in a way that allowed it to be accessed randomly rather than sequentially, as was the case with earlier computers.
The Manchester “Baby” was the first computer to use this revolutionary concept of RAM, which allowed for faster and more efficient data storage and retrieval. The machine used a clock signal to synchronize the electronic circuits, and its program was stored on paper tape. It was also the first computer to use a stored program, which meant it could perform a wide range of tasks without needing to be physically reconfigured each time.
The Manchester “Baby” was a huge step forward in the field of electronic computing, and it paved the way for the development of modern computers that we use today. It was a true testament to the ingenuity and innovation of the engineers and scientists who built it, and it remains an important milestone in the history of computing.
In conclusion, the Manchester “Baby” was a pioneering machine that revolutionized electronic computing. Its ability to store programs and data using Random Access Memory was a game changer, and it laid the foundation for the modern computers we use today. The story of the “Baby” is a testament to the brilliance and dedication of the engineers and scientists who built it. It will forever be remembered as a milestone in the history of technology.
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