PSA: I just learned the first computer bug was a real moth stuck in a relay

I was reading an old tech history book from the library last week and found a picture of the actual bug. It was a moth taped into a log book from 1947 at Harvard. The note said 'first actual case of bug being found'. I always thought 'debugging' was just a fun word we made up, not a real thing someone had to do. It makes me think about how much easier we have it now. Back then, a tiny bug could stop a whole room sized computer. Now I can fix most of my code errors just by looking at a screen. It's a funny piece of history that really shows how far things have come. Has anyone else found a cool old fact about early computers that surprised them?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan_moore123d ago

Wow, I always thought that was just a story, but it's actually real.

hunt.shane3d ago

Remember my friend who collects old tech manuals? He found one from the 60s with a section on fixing computers by literally oiling them. He said it described how to use a tiny oil can on the moving parts of a hard drive the size of a washing machine. Can you imagine having to do maintenance like that? Just a drop too much and you could ruin the whole thing. Makes our software updates seem pretty easy.