OU on the BBC: Digital Planet: BBC World Service - History of computing

From the first programmable computer to games machines reinvented as musical...

From the first programmable computer to games machines reinvented as musical instruments – there's a few surprises in the history of computing.

By: Click on BBC World Service (Programme and web teams, The Open University)

Duration 5 mins
Published on: Tuesday 26th May 2009
Introductory Level
Posted under: Radio, Digital Planet

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For the theme of our third special episode of Digital Planet, we're taking at look back at the history of computing with an episode recorded largely on location at Bletchley Park, which lies just outside Milton Keynes in the UK, a city which also happens to be home to The Open University.

The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park Featuring: Video Copyrighted image Credit: MattCrypto via Wikimedia

An unassuming building in what is now Milton Keynes played a pivotal role in the Second World War - and the... Watch now: The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park

Colossus Featuring: Audio Copyrighted image Credit: Bill Thompson

At the heart of the code-breaking effort during WWII was an incredible piece of engineering - Colossus - the world's... Listen now: Colossus

Chiptunes Featuring: Audio Copyrighted image Credit: Nixdorf via Wikimedia

It's not just the computer industry that took inspiration from the code-breaking machine Colossus. The BBC/OU series... Listen now: Chiptunes

The Birth of Modern Computing Copyrighted image Credit: BBC

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