5 Facts About Computers & Coding

There is so much history behind computers and coding! From the first computer being developed to all of the wonderful developments that have come up, there is a lot to learn about the capabilities with code.

1) The first computer was developed in 1946 by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly. It wasn’t the size of the computer you have today that fits perfect on your table..it was much larger! It occupied a 50x30 foot basement!

2) There are hundreds of different programming languages out there to learn. Each language does something different and there are varying levels of difficulty to learning them. Here are a few you might have heard about:

• Scratch (we teach this to our most beginner coders)

• Python (we teach this to our more advanced coders)

• C++

• Java

3) The first coding language that was commercially available was developed at IBM called FORTRAN. This language was developed in 1954 and officially debuted in 1957. FORTRAN increased efficiency and quickly became a popular coding program.

4) Grace Hopper helped to create the first compiler for computer languages called the UNIVAC I. She joined the Navy during World War II and worked on computers and has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to computing. To learn more about the amazing work she did check out this article by Yale or her foundation.

5) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projected growth rate of coding based jobs (web developers & software developers) is between 13%-21%! As the digital landscape continues to evolve and grow, there will be many opportunities to put coding skills to good use.