309 – Thinking Machines

2020-01-24
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In Real Fact Comics #2 (March 1946), it is mentioned that Harvard University has a “thinking machine”. I imagine this is referring to the Harvard Mark I, which was an early general-purpose electronic computer, though Wikipedia tells me it was not Turing-complete. ENIAC is the more famous “first computer” and was put into service only […]

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294 – Electronic Strength

2020-01-03
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Since the transistor was invented in 1947, I was surprised to see “electronics” mentioned in Sensation Comics #46 (August 1945) until I remembered that vacuum tubes had been around for a few decades by then. Even so, it’s called “the new science of electronics” on the splash page. It’s pretty odd timing since the atomic […]

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