Wikinventia — Atlas of discoveries and inventions · Industrial Age

Manchester "Baby" — first computer with a program stored in electronic memory

1948 AD · Transmission: Global
ComputingInventionBritish

On 21 June 1948, the 'Baby' becomes the first computer to execute a program stored in addressable read-write electronic memory (Williams-Kilburn tube memory, a cathode-ray tube used as storage). This validates the random-access memory concept later used widely, and leads in 1949 to the Manchester Mark I, which introduces index registers. In February 1951, Ferranti Ltd's commercial derivative becomes the first electronic computer marketed as a standard product delivered to a customer.

InstitutionUniversity of Manchester
Historical regionManchester, England
Primary sourceKilburn, T. et al. — Execution of the first stored program, University of Manchester, 21 June 1948
Secondary sourceIEEE Engineering and Technology History Wiki — "Milestones: Manchester University 'Baby' Computer and its Derivatives, 1948-1951"
Original languageEnglish
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