Enter ENIAC (jan 1, 1943 – dec 31, 1945)

Description:

- Up until now, computers used mechnical switches. Clunky and subject to mechanical issues, they would have never evolved to what we know as computers today. ENIAC changed this by being the first large-scale computer to run on electrical speed without being slowed by mechanical parts.

- ENIAC used 18,000 vacuum tubes. That's 18,000 chances to fail. Prior to ENIAC, people feared that with so many different parts working together, there was a chance that they would stop working simultaneously. Using strict circuit guidlines and tests, however, ENIAC changed this mindset.

- Until ENIAC, computers were generally specific in their usage. When ENIAC rolled around as the world's first general purpose computer, computers started to shift towards being seen a general-purpose, useful in solving things such as numerical purposes, as opposed to the fancy toy of academics.