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

Updated Tuesday 26th May 2009

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

1970s computers Copyrighted image Icon Copyright: BBC

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.

  • Copyrighted image Icon Copyright: MattCrypto via Wikimedia
    The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park

    The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park

    An unassuming building in what is now Milton Keynes played a pivotal role in the Second World War - and the development of computing.

    Watch nowThe Codebreakers of Bletchley Park

    Video

    Level: 1 Introductory

  • Copyrighted image Icon Copyright: Bill Thompson
    Colossus

    Colossus

    At the heart of the code-breaking effort during WWII was an incredible piece of engineering - Colossus - the world's first programmable computing device.

    Listen nowColossus

    Audio

    Level: 1 Introductory

  • Copyrighted image Icon Copyright: Nixdorf via Wikimedia
    Chiptunes

    Chiptunes

    It's not just the computer industry that took inspiration from the code-breaking machine Colossus. The BBC/OU series Digital Planet discovers a unique fusion of retro gaming and music

    Listen nowChiptunes

    Audio

    Level: 1 Introductory

  • Copyrighted image Icon Copyright: BBC
    The Birth of Modern Computing

    The Birth of Modern Computing

    The history of warfare has been a history of data as well as of violence - knowing your enemies' movements and plans has always been vital; keeping track of supplies and reinforcements crucial. But the Second World War was a conflict where the ability to use machines to crunch numbers proved decisive, as Mike Richards explains.

    Read nowThe Birth of Modern Computing

    Article

    Level: 1 Introductory

 

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