The First Programmable Computer and its Inventor
Konrad Zuse
The first computer was invented in 1936 by a German civil engineer named Konrad Zuse. He developed a freely programmable computer called the Z1. It was mechanical, composed with grand numbers, mechanical switches, and memory that included metal bars of glass. Punched tape was used to program the Z1. Using the binary system and the standard separation of storage and control, the new computer met the essential needs of technology at that time.
In 1939, Zuse decided to develop a larger and improved version of the Z1 computer with the same components. The new computer was called Z2. Instead of using the arithmetic and control logic, he used electrical relay circuits. After being confirmed by The Third Reich's Aerodynamic Institute, Z2 was completed. In 1941, Zuse started working on Z3; Z3 had electronically relay circuited computer like Z2. It had an electromechanical memory and arithmetical unit. Z3 was the first operational calculating machine that the German aircraft industry used to solve mathematical systems and simultaneous equations. Near the end of World War II, some the computers that Zuse designed were destroyed in bombing raids. However, in 1960, Z3 had been reconstructed.
As the war continued, Zuse kept on getting new ideas and in 1942, he developed Z4. Konrad also developed other types of computers such as the S1 and the S2 that were used to compute measurements that were necessary for aircrafts. Zuse designed a computer named L1 for solving logical, non arithmetical problems. This accomplishment made his career in engineering glorious. He earned a medal in memory of Harry M. Goode, and $2,000 from the Computer Society. By 1958, he had designed Z series from 1-22. The Z-22 was the only computer that he designed with transistors. On December 18, 1995, Konrad Zuse passed away in Hulfield, Germany. He will always be remembered as a creative, determined and an intelligent person with a vast mind.
In 1939, Zuse decided to develop a larger and improved version of the Z1 computer with the same components. The new computer was called Z2. Instead of using the arithmetic and control logic, he used electrical relay circuits. After being confirmed by The Third Reich's Aerodynamic Institute, Z2 was completed. In 1941, Zuse started working on Z3; Z3 had electronically relay circuited computer like Z2. It had an electromechanical memory and arithmetical unit. Z3 was the first operational calculating machine that the German aircraft industry used to solve mathematical systems and simultaneous equations. Near the end of World War II, some the computers that Zuse designed were destroyed in bombing raids. However, in 1960, Z3 had been reconstructed.
As the war continued, Zuse kept on getting new ideas and in 1942, he developed Z4. Konrad also developed other types of computers such as the S1 and the S2 that were used to compute measurements that were necessary for aircrafts. Zuse designed a computer named L1 for solving logical, non arithmetical problems. This accomplishment made his career in engineering glorious. He earned a medal in memory of Harry M. Goode, and $2,000 from the Computer Society. By 1958, he had designed Z series from 1-22. The Z-22 was the only computer that he designed with transistors. On December 18, 1995, Konrad Zuse passed away in Hulfield, Germany. He will always be remembered as a creative, determined and an intelligent person with a vast mind.