Technology is deeply woven into our day to day lives; From the moment we wake up to when we go to bed, we interact with countless tech and gadgets that make our lives easier, faster and inter-connected. But behind some of these tools and devices lie fascinating stories and quirks that might surprise you. In this article, we explore some to of our favourite facts around technology and computing you might not know.
The First Computer Bug Was an Actual Bug
We kick of this like with a really fun one. You probably already know the term "computer bug" is commonly used when describing an errors or mistake, but did you know its origin actually comes from a very literal incident of a bug in 1947. A team of engineers working on the Harvard Mark II computer found a moth stuck in one of the machine’s relays, causing it to malfunction. They logged it as the "first actual case of a bug being found." While the term "bug" had been used in engineering before this event, the discovery solidified its use in computing and popularized it within the greater public psyche.
Email Predates the World Wide Web
Many people assume that email was created after the invention of the internet, but that’s not actually true. The first email system was in fact developed in 1971 by Ray Tomlinson, long before the World Wide Web’s invention in 1991. Before the internet, emails would only be able to send messages within the same computer system and, only after the invention of the world wide web, evolved to connect different machines.
Tomlinson was the one who chose the @ symbol to separate a username from the computer address. Before this @ had no fixed meaning, however was typically used to mean “at the rate of” or “at the price of”, however he felt this symbol was so rarely used, so would the least likely to appear at the end of a username. As a result, he forever changed @ to simply symbolise “at”.
The First Mobile Phone Call Was Made in 1973
Mobile phones might seem like a product of the late 20th century, but their story began much earlier. The first-ever mobile phone call was made by Martin Cooper of Motorola on the 3rd of April, 1973. He called a rival telecommunications company to inform them of his achievement. The prototype phone he used weighed over 1kg and had a talk time of just 30 minutes after a 10-hour charge!
QR Codes Were Inspired by Go
The QR code, a staple in modern marketing and technology, has its roots in an ancient board game. Invented in 1994 by Masahiro Hara, the design was inspired by the black and white pieces of the Japanese game Go. Originally used for tracking car parts, QR codes have since found their way into countless applications, from retail to healthcare.
The World’s First Website Is Still Online
The first-ever website was created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1991 and is still accessible today. The site was hosted on a NeXT computer at CERN and was a simple page explaining the concept of the World Wide Web. You can visit it at info.cern.ch, a living piece of internet history.
More People Own Mobile Phones Than Toilets
It might come as a surprise, but according to United Nations reports, more people worldwide have access to mobile phones than to toilets. This highlights the rapid spread of mobile technology compared to basic sanitation infrastructure, especially in developing countries.
The First Hard Drive Had Barely Enough Memory to Store a Single Photo
In 1956, IBM introduced the world’s first hard drive, the IBM 305 RAMAC. It was the size of two large refrigerators and had a storage capacity of just 5 megabytes, which today would barely hold a single high-resolution photo. In stark contrast, modern hard drives can hold terabytes of data and fit in the palm of your hand.
The Iconic "Save" Button Is a Relic of the Past
Most software uses the floppy disk icon as the universal symbol for saving files. Ironically, many younger users have never seen or used a floppy disk in real life. Once a mainstay of computing, floppy disks have long been replaced by USB drives and cloud storage, yet the icon remains a nostalgic nod to technology’s past.
Wi-Fi Was Invented by Accident
Wi-Fi is something we all take for granted, but did you know it was born out of an unexpected discovery? In the 1990s, an Australian research organisation, CSIRO, was trying to detect black holes using radio waves; During their experiments, they developed the core technology that would become Wi-Fi, revolutionising how the world connects to the internet.
A Typo Launched the World's Most Popular Website
Google’s name originated from a misspelling of the word "googol," which is the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. The founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, intended to highlight the immense amount of information their search engine could process. The domain name "google.com" was registered in 1997, and the rest is history.
The Longest Domain Name in Use
When it comes to domain names, some people take creativity to the extreme. The longest domain name in active use today is llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.com, which is the name of a village in Wales. While perhaps not practical, it certainly grabs attention.
The First Tweet Was Just "Setting Up My Twttr"
On the 21st of March, 2006, Twitter’s co-founder Jack Dorsey sent out the platform’s first-ever tweet. It simply read, "just setting up my twttr." This marked the beginning of a social media giant that now sees billions of tweets shared annually.
Technology's Environmental Footprint
While technology has brought countless benefits, it also has an environmental cost. The production of smartphones, for instance, requires rare earth elements like cobalt and lithium, often mined under challenging and unethical conditions with poor workers rights; In addition to the staggering amount of e-waste generated globally. However, advancements in recycling and sustainable tech designs are helping to go some way in helping to reduce these impacts every year.
The Rise of AI Assistants
Artificial intelligence as a concept dates back as far as ancient Greece, with the myth of Talos, a bronze robotic statue bestowed with AI like intelligence by the Greek gods, often accepted as one of the earliest examples of artificial intelligence within fiction. The prominence of Artificial Intelligence within popular science fiction, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner), has helped to further cement the idea of technology with human like intelligence, within the public psyche. With modern advancements in technology however, AI is no longer confined simply to the world of science fiction.
Tools like Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant are now part of everyday life. The technology behind these assistants is incredibly complex, involving machine learning and natural language processing. Interestingly, whilst today’s AI is capable of controlling entire smart homes, early AI prototypes could only perform basic tasks. The most famous example of this early AI is the chess playing Deep Blue, who members of the public tried to nominate as sports personality of the year in 1997 after it beat chess world champion, Garry Kasparov.
Conclusion
Technology is full of surprises, from its humble beginnings to its extraordinary advancements. These fun facts remind us of the incredible journey that has shaped the digital world we live in today. As technology continues to evolve, who knows what new and fascinating developments await? Whether it’s the quirky origins of a widely used feature or the unexpected ways technology impacts society, there’s always something new to learn and appreciate about the gadgets and systems that power our lives.
