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Manchester Mark 1

Early Computer

The Manchester Mark 1 was one of the earliest stored-program computers, developed at the Victoria University of Manchester, England, from the Manchester Baby. Work began in August 1948, and the first version was operational by April 1949. A program written to search for Mersenne primes ran error-free for nine hours on the night of 16 to 17 June 1949. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Year
1949 1
Significance
The machines practical reliability was demonstrated when a program searching for Mersenne primes ran error-free for nine hours overnight on 16 and 17 June 1949, an early proof that a stored-program computer could sustain a long unattended run. 1
Connections

Invented By

Frederic C. Williams built the Manchester Mark 1 at the University of Manchester as the direct successor to the Manchester Baby, using his own Williams tube storage.

Tom Kilburn, Pioneers

Tom Kilburn built the Manchester Mark 1 at the University of Manchester as the direct successor to the Manchester Baby.

Source Wikipedia: Tom Kilburn

Preceded By

Manchester Baby, Systems

Once the Baby had proved the stored-program concept workable, the University of Manchester developed it into the full-scale Manchester Mark 1.

Source Wikipedia: Manchester Baby
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Manchester Mark 1
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
Quote, Lead section
a program written to search for Mersenne primes ran error-free for nine hours on the night of 16/17 June 1949
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Wikidata: Manchester Mark 1
  • Wikidata Q1463814, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • In Group: Early British Stored-Program Computers, Early British stored-program computer; production successor to the Manchester Baby.
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Wikipedia: Manchester Baby
Wikimedia FoundationPreceded By: Manchester Baby, Lead section
Quote, Preceded By: Manchester Baby, Lead section
As soon as the Baby had demonstrated the feasibility of its design, a project was initiated at the university to develop it into a full-scale operational machine, the Manchester Mark 1.
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