Technology · 2

After finding the moth causing a fault in Harvard's Mark II computer in 1947, what did the technicians do with the insect to document the incident?

Answer

Taped it into their logbook

The technicians physically taped the dead moth into the Mark II's operations logbook, next to a note reading 'first actual case of bug being found,' creating a famous artifact of computing history.

💡 Did you know?

A moth trapped inside Harvard's Mark II computer in 1947 became the first recorded 'bug'—researchers taped the actual insect into their logbook as evidence.

Other options people guess

  • Preserved it in a sealed specimen jar
  • Mailed it to the manufacturer for inspection
  • Photographed it and discarded the insect

Topics

  • computer-history
  • 1940s
  • software-bugs
  • archives

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