First computer bug found 64 years ago today

Howdy,

Since everyone that uses development tools has encountered bugs, I thought I'd post a fun history fact for Friday from the amazing Computer History Mesuem:

September 9, 1945

First instance of actual computer bug being found. At 3:45 p.m., Grace Murray Hopper records the first computer bug in her log book as she worked on the Harvard Mark II. The problem was traced to a moth stuck between a relay in the machine, which Hopper duly taped into the Mark II's log book with the explanation: First instance of actual computer bug being found.

TGIF,

Drew

P.S. Interesting, just noticed that Computer History Meseum states 1945 while the log book shows 1947.

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Tags: debugging, bug, grace, hopper

DAB

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1. Sep 9, 2011 4:26 PM (in response to Drew Fustini)
Re: First computer bug found 64 years ago today

Hi Drew,

Thanks for reminding us of this momentous event and bringing Grace Hopper to memory. She was truly one of the great pioneers in computing and automation. I hope someday that she gets the same status as Tesla, Edison and Westinghouse as one of the people who made a real difference in electronics.

DAB

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Drew Fustini
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2. Sep 9, 2011 7:01 PM (in response to DAB)
Re: First computer bug found 64 years ago today

Hi DAB,

I definately agree with you. I hope she gets a deserving mention during the element14 Ada Lovelace Day event: http://www.element14.com/community/view-event.jspa?event=3066

Another ancedote featuring Grace Hopper just popped into my head, and I was a able to find a good description:

Of course, coding took a toll on people's ability to think correctly while away from the computer. The Mark I (and its successor the Mark II) had to be coded with octal digits, so every month Hopper's "checkbook would be unbalanced because she would slip into octal addition and subtraction when balancing her accounts." (p. 195)
[http://www.charlespetzold.com/blog/2009/10/Reading-Grace-Hopper-and-the-Invention-of-the-Information-Age.html]

Cheers,
Drew

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Noize

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3. Sep 21, 2011 7:04 PM (in response to Drew Fustini)
Re: First computer bug found 64 years ago today

I thought this story was apocryphal like Newton's apple story?

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Drew Fustini
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4. Sep 22, 2011 12:04 PM (in response to Noize)
Re: First computer bug found 64 years ago today

Ya, seems like it might be, but the story is in fact made up of real insect bits

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