History of Computer Science: The Really Early Days

Have you ever seen something or heard something and thought to yourself: "I wonder how they made that" or "How did that ever get started?" I have. Looking at the current technology that we have available right now, I have wondered about a lot of things such as when the first computer was built, how the Internet became what it is, and how the computer language started. Being in the computer science field, how it all started has also crossed my mind.

Computer science is defined as "the scientific and practical approach to computation and its applications. It is the systematic study of the feasibility, structure, expression, and mechanization of the methodical processes (or algorithms) that underlie the acquisition, representation, processing, storage, communication of, and access to information."

When we study computer science, we deal with a lot of computations and algorithms. In fact, one of the origins of computer science were tools that were used to help in computations such as the abacus, which were used by the Sumerians. The mechanical analog computer was also a part of the revolutionary progress of computer science.

As mathematical computations increased, machines were built to help these computations; mechanical devices were built to help factor integers. As more theory and questions were asked, more and more devices were built to help figure out the answers such as the Turning machine.

Calculations needed for war helped give birth to one of the first electronic digital computers. With the help of IBM, the Mark I electromechanical computer helped calculate ballistics in World War II.

In the 1960's, computer science became its own field.The first computer science department was formed at Purdue University in 1962. Operating systems were also starting to become more advanced. Fred Brooks, at IBM, designed System/360, "a line of different computers with the same architecture and instruction set, from small machine to top-of-the-line." Edsger Dijkstra, at Eindhoven, designed the THE multiprogramming system. At the end of the decade, ARPAnet, a precursor to today's Internet, began to be constructed.

Starting from a simple device like the abacus to an electronic device like the digital computer, who would have thought that this would lead to the development of computer science.