MECHANICAL AGE

1450 - 1840

Analytic Engine (1837)

ANTHONY R. ORATA
ARC229
MECHANICAL AGE: THE RISE
OF THE FIRST COMPUTERS

A Gutenberg Printing Factory. c. 1500s

“What I find interesting about the Mechanical Age is that it is one of the most fundamental
and influential stages in the history of Information Technology, as it is the era of the
“firsts” of all the technological advancements we have today - computers and machinery.
For instance, one of the significant inventions made during this stage was the Gutenberg
printing press, invented around the 1400s, and the first two calculating engines- the
difference engines and the analytical engines. These two inventions contributed to
developing our way of living in the world of I.T. “

“Another motive that seized my interest, not only the Mechanical Age but also the
intellectual era the Age of Discovery (the Age of Discovery can be synonymous and parallel
with the Mechanical Age in terms of the period), is the geniuses and inventors, with their
astounding knowledge behind their inventions. I mentioned that this stage was the “first”
of all the computers and machines that we have today. This signifies that inventors during
that time were undeniably ingenious compared to the ones that we have today, although I
also appreciate today’s inventors in their innovations. The complexity and antiquity of
these first computers and machines are something that I would treasure If ever I got the
privilege to encounter this equipment.”
 Here are some of the venerable inventions during the
Mechanical age that shaped the IT world:

Gutenberg Printing Press by

Johannes Gutenberg. 1440
The first mechanical printing press that was
invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1940s. The
invention of this printing press catalyzed the
age of discovery and enlightenment worldwide
and revolutionized the spread of knowledge
and information by means of enhanced printed
material instead of a handwritten one

The Slide Rule by William

Oughtred. 1660s
The Slide Rule is a hand-operated calculating
device that consists of sliding rulers intended
for evaluating basic mathematical operations
such as multiplication, division, exponents,
roots, logarithms, and trigonometry. It was
first invented by William Ought around 1600
and was considered to be one of the first and
simplest analog computers invented.

The Pascaline by Blaise

Pascal. 1642
The Pascaline, or Pascal’s Calculator, is the
first adding calculator that was invented in
1642 by the French mathematician, Blaise
Pascal. It was the first and the only
operational mechanical calculator that was
invented in the 17th century. It was used for
basic mathematical operations such as
addition and subtraction through
manipulating the dials in order to enter the
desired numbers.
 Here are some of the venerable inventions during the
Mechanical age that shaped the IT world:

First Punch Cards, “Jacquard

Machine”, by Joseph Marie
Jacquard. 1801
The first punch cards, called the “Jacquard
Machine” or “Jacquard Loom”, is a piece of card
material with punched holes utilized to store
digital data. Data processing and automated
machine control once frequently utilized punched
cards.

Difference Engine (left) and Analytical Engine (right)

Difference Engine and Analytical

Engine by Charles Babbage. computer
The Analytical Engine was to be a mechanical digital
with full program control that could be used for a
1820s-1830s variety of tasks. It could do any calculation that was given to
it. There is no proof that anyone else had ever imagined or
tried to construct a gadget similar to this one before Babbage.
Difference Engine The mill, the store, the reader, and the printer were the four
An early computer that was created by parts that made up the machine's design. These parts are the
fundamental parts of any modern computer. The reader and
Charles Babbage conceived and partially
printer served as the input and output devices, while the mill
constructed in the 1820s and 1830s, served as the computing unit—analogous to the central
is almost certainly the first computer. processing unit (CPU) in a contemporary computer. Data
were stored in the store before being processed, which was
exactly like memory and storage in modern computers.
 REFERENCES

1801: Punched cards control Jacquard loom | The Storage Engine | Computer History Museum. (n.d.).
https://www.computerhistory.org/storageengine/punched-cards-control-jacquard-loom/

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023, October 17). printing press. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/printing-press

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023, October 3). slide rule. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/science/slide-rule

Freiberger, P. A. and Swaine, . Michael R. (2023, June 15). Analytical Engine. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/Analytical-Engine

Swaine, M. R. and Freiberger, . Paul A. (2023, February 11). Difference Engine. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/Difference-Engine

Swaine, M. R. and Freiberger, . Paul A. (2022, June 3). Pascaline. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/Pascaline