Witness History8 Marras 2024

The invention of the ‘Baby’ computer

In June 1948, the ‘Baby’ was invented. It was the first stored-program computer, meaning it was the first machine to work like the ones we have today.

It was developed in England at the University of Manchester.

The computer was huge, it filled a room that was nearly six metres square. The team who made it are now recognised as the pioneers of modern computing.

Gill Kearsley has been looking through the archives to find out more about the 'Baby'.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Freddie Williams and Tom Kilburn, the inventors of the Baby shown programming the Manchester Mk 1 computer. Credit: The University of Manchester)

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(2000)

Treetops: The day a princess became a queen

In 1952, Princess Elizabeth became queen while staying at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya. But she wouldn't make the discovery until hours later.The 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth and her husband were on ...

11 Elo 10min

Finding the den of the Tsavo man-eaters

In 1997, scientists travelled to Tsavo, Kenya, in search of a cave believed to have been the den of the man-eating lions that terrorised railway workers in 1898.The two lions stalked Indian and Africa...

10 Elo 11min

The origins of the all-inclusive holiday

Holidaymakers arrived at the first Club Med resort on the Spanish island of Majorca in the summer of 1950. Founded by the Belgian water polo player Gérard Blitz, Club Méditerranée offered a new kind o...

7 Elo 10min

When Taiwan’s ‘White Terror’ ended

In 1987, Taiwan finally lifted martial law after nearly four decades of authoritarian rule.The moment marked a profound shift for a society long shaped by censorship, surveillance and political fear.F...

6 Elo 9min

Ashley Kriel: South Africa's anti-apartheid 'Che Guevara'

In the 1980s, townships in the Cape Flats area of Cape Town became an unexpected hotbed of activity against South Africa's apartheid government. One charismatic young activist emerged as a leader of t...

5 Elo 10min

The first carbon offset

In 1988, as floods struck Bangladesh and a heat wave swept across the United States, climate change became a political issue. Governments and businesses alike talked about how to stop it, or at least ...

4 Elo 9min

City of God: The film that reshaped global cinema

In 2001, filming began on City of God which would stun audiences with its unflinching honesty.It captured the brutal realities of child gangsters from Rio De Janeiro’s favelas trapped in an unforgivin...

3 Elo 10min

The cellist who survived Auschwitz-Birkenau

In 1943, the cellist, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. She expected to be killed in the gas chambers but survived because she was recruited to play in an o...

31 Heinä 10min