The computing revolution that secretly began in 1776

"Computing didn't begin with electronics or genius breakthroughs. It began as a practical response to chart immense amounts of stars, land, and trade activity. Although computers feel like a very recent breakthrough, the computing revolution actually began in 1776. Let David Alan Grier explain. DAVID ALAN GRIER: How can you mechanize mathematics? What can you do with it? Those lessons were first approached in largely the 18th century and by people doing work by hand."

"Why is computing part of the Industrial Revolution? The Industrial Revolution is about systematizing production. And it's about producing goods of uniform quality, if not uniform design, at the lowest possible cost for the largest possible market. If you want a date that's easy to remember and just nails things down, you go with 1776."

Computing originated as practical methods to handle immense amounts of data for astronomy, land surveying, and trade rather than as sudden electronic breakthroughs. Early computation in the 18th century relied on manual calculation and gradually sought mechanization of mathematical procedures. The Industrial Revolution's emphasis on systematizing production, division of labor, and producing uniform goods at low cost created the conditions for organized, repeatable computation. The linkage to 1776 highlights the alignment between economic systematization and the rise of computational techniques that supported larger markets and national wealth.

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