Today in Technology History
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November 12
Today our topic is the abacus, the first important computing device. No one can be sure exactly when or where the abacus was invented; different claimants include the Babylonians, the Egyptians and the Chinese. We know for certain that the Egyptians used abacuses (or "abaci") back in 500 B.C., and possibly earlier.
The abacus consists of several rows of beads, usually strung onto wires or thin rods. The beads are manipulated so the user can count and perform calculations, including multiplication and division. By helping merchants to rapidly calculate prices, the abacus became an important tool for commerce in much of the world -- especially since it was faster and cheaper than calculating on paper.
On November 12, 1946, the U.S. Army sponsored a peculiar contest in Tokyo, Japan, pitting the fastest electric calculating machine of the day against the abacus. An army private -- the fastest user of the electric calculator who was stationed in Japan -- competed against a champion abacus operator.
The abacus won four of the five rounds. A military newspaper described the event this way: "The machine age tool took a step backward yesterday... as the abacus, centuries old, dealt defeat to the most up-to-date electric machine now being used by the United States Government... The abacus victory was decisive."
The first electronic pocket calculators went on sale 25 years later, in 1971. Today, electronic calculators are so cheap that the abacus has nearly no practical value -- although abacus competitions are still occasionally popular in China and Japan.
Related links:
This excellent site has much more information about the abacus.
Click here to read the odd history of the English word "abacus."
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