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Today in History: Manchester Baby executes first program in history

6/21/2025

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Summary

Story summary

On June 21, 1948, the Manchester Baby, also known as the Small-Scale Experimental Machine, executed its first program at the University of Manchester. Developed by Frederic C. Williams, Tom Kilburn, and Geoff Tootill, this groundbreaking machine marked the dawn of electronic stored-program computing, revolutionizing the field of computer science.

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Story summary

On June 21, 1948, the Manchester Baby, also known as the Small-Scale Experimental Machine, executed its first program at the University of Manchester. Developed by Frederic C. Williams, Tom Kilburn, and Geoff Tootill, this groundbreaking machine marked the dawn of electronic stored-program computing, revolutionizing the field of computer science.