Technology · 1

In 1947, technicians investigating a malfunction in Harvard's Mark II computer found which insect trapped in a relay, giving rise to the term 'computer bug'?

Answer

A moth

The Mark II team found a moth caught in one of the machine's electromechanical relays, causing a malfunction; they taped it into their logbook, cementing the 'bug' terminology in computing lore.

💡 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

  • A beetle
  • A housefly
  • An ant

Topics

  • computer-history
  • 1940s
  • hardware
  • trivia

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