A 1956 encyclopaedia's view on the computer
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 8th Jun 2012 23:07 UTC
Hardware, Embedded Systems Two weeks ago, my grandmother passed away - the last grandparent I had left. As those of you with experience in dealing with deceased family members know, the funeral is only the start; the next part is taking care of the deceased's affairs, which includes going through all their belongings to determine what to do with them. I took care of my grandmother's extensive book collection, and while doing so, I hit something that fascinated me to no end: a six-volume Christian Encyclopaedia from 1956. In it, I found something I just had to share with OSNews.
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RE: Dictionary entry
by olefiver on Mon 11th Jun 2012 22:16 UTC in reply to "Dictionary entry"
olefiver
Member since:
2008-04-04

The word computer has been in use since the 17th or early 18th century, as a word for a person performing mathematical calculations. Mainly used in astronomy, I think.
From the 19th century the role of computer, in astronomy, was often given women, though they (of course, given the time) was paid and credited less than their male scientist counterparts.

above from memory from a Bill Bryson book

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