Computing technology has been evolving rapidly in America and Britain for the past few decades. Although development of computers can be traced back to as early as 1800 with Charles Babbage’s mechanical computer, the Analytical Engine, it was only during World War II that the technology started to gain attention.
In America, electronic computers were first developed in the 1940s by companies such as IBM and Bell Labs. These early computers were bulky and expensive, but they paved the way for modern computers as we know them today. In contrast, Britain’s early computing industry was largely driven by academia rather than industry. Researchers such as Alan Turing at Bletchley Park played a crucial role in developing code-breaking machines that helped win World War II.
During the 1950s and 60s, both America and Britain experienced a boom in computer development.
Key innovations from each country
In the last century, computing technology has changed drastically, and both America and Britain have been major contributors to the evolution of this industry. The first breakthrough in computing technology was with the invention of the thermionic valve (vacuum tube) in 1904. This innovation paved the way for more advanced computer systems that later emerged.
Then came the invention of the Colossus computers by British telephone engineer Tommy Flowers during World War II. It was used by Allies to break German codes. Later, in 1951 Remington Rand introduced its UNIVAC I computer – which is considered as one of the most significant innovations in American computing history because it was an early example of a stored-program computer.
Another innovation that stands out is ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), a US Defence Department project from 1969 that created a network between several universities and government sites to share academic and research data more efficiently.
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