Imperial College Computing Engine facts for kids
The Imperial College Computing Engines, known as ICCE I and ICCE II, were early digital computers. They were built a long time ago, right after World War II. These machines were created at Imperial College London, a famous university in the UK.
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ICCE I: Imperial College's First Computer
ICCE I was the very first computer built at Imperial College London. It was put together by Sidney Michaelson, Tony Brooker, and Keith Tocher. They worked on it in the Department of Mathematics between the late 1940s and early 1950s.
This computer was a "relay-based" machine. This means it used many small switches, like those in old telephone systems, to do its calculations. It worked slowly but was very dependable. Today, no one knows where ICCE I is.
ICCE II: The Unfinished Project
ICCE II was another computer project started by Sidney Michaelson, Keith Tocher, and Manny Lehman. They began building it in the early 1950s.
This machine was "valve-based," meaning it used vacuum tubes, which were common in early electronics. However, ICCE II was never fully finished. Keith Tocher later took the parts of ICCE II with him when he went to work at British Steel. Its current location is also unknown.
How These Computers Helped Others
Even though they were early machines, ICCE I and ICCE II helped other computer designers. Their ideas influenced the creation of SABRAC. This was the second computer ever built in Israel. It was made by the Israeli Ministry of Defense's Scientific Department.
Why the Project Ended
Around 1956 or 1957, the Imperial College computer project had to stop. The people working on it moved to different places.
- In 1951, Tony Brooker left to join the Computing Machine Laboratory at the University of Manchester.
- Keith Tocher took ICCE II and started working at British Steel.
- Sidney Michaelson went to the University of Edinburgh. There, he started a computer unit that later became a big computer science department.
- Manny Lehman eventually joined the Israeli Ministry of Defense's Scientific Department, which is now known as Rafael.
