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Technology: 1944-2004: it all started with a big, big calculator.

Publication: T&D
Publication Date: 01-MAY-04 		Format: Online
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Full Article Title: Technology: 1944-2004: it all started with a big, big calculator.(Digital Beat)

Article Excerpt
In honor of ASTD's 60th anniversary, I thought it would be interesting to step back in time 60 years and take a look at some technologies of 1944, and compare them with some of today's technologies.

Key innovations of 1944

Sixty years ago, some pivotal patents, inventions, and discoveries were made that are tied to current technologies and, in some cases, current learning technologies. Cultural readiness issues related to technology were also coming to the forefront. Harvard University researcher Howard Aiken and Grace Hopper invented the first programmable calculator, the Mark I, in 1944. It was a tremendous advance for the time. It not only did basic mathematical calculations, but also higher-level and higher-function math calculations. This calculator was a behemoth, measuring 55 feet long and 8 feet high. It weighed 5 tons and had 760,000 pieces. It took three to five seconds to complete a multiplication operation, dauntingly slow by current standards. Aiken predicted in 1947 that "only six electronic digital computers would be needed to satisfy the computing needs of the entire United States." Hopper was the first person to coin...

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