Computing power, data storage and transmission speeds have all continually advanced from the moment counting tools were first employed to extend human mathematics beyond our ten fingers. Calculations were aided and our ability to do higher order math improved through the use of tally sticks thousands of years ago. The abacus was introduced in Babylonia nearly five thousand years ago. The slide rule, a major step forward in being able to complete highly complex mathematical problem-solving was invented by William Oughtred sometime between 1620 and 1630, shortly after the introduction of logarithmic numerical scaling.
The first mechanical computation machine was invented by Charles Babbage in 1822. The first electro-mechanical, automatic computation machine, now called a “computer”, was invented in 1941 by Konrad Zuse. In 1945, another significantly improved computer called ENIAC became fully operational, which used the same vacuum tube switches that Zuse employed. ENIAC weighed thirty tons. It was the invention of semi-conducting materials which allowed components to be made smaller, with less heat and faster operational speeds, that began the incredible rate of advancement and reduction in size of computers.
