{"video_id":"NVEOV_FgGBc","title":"Did Ancient People Have Computers?","channel":"Techquickie","show":"Techquickie","published_at":"2025-05-04T14:58:16Z","duration_s":482,"segments":[{"start_s":0.199,"end_s":7.08,"text":"what was the first computer well that depends a lot on what you mean by","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":4.68,"end_s":10.759,"text":"computer I mean we're all used to stored program general purpose digital","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":9.04,"end_s":16.199,"text":"computers but those have only been around for less than a hundred years the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":13.16,"end_s":18.64,"text":"first aniac or the electronic numerical","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":16.199,"end_s":21.8,"text":"integrator and computer was created for the US Military and was completed only","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":21.039,"end_s":27.56,"text":"in 1945 by the literal meaning of the word","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":25.119,"end_s":32.32,"text":"a computer is a person or tool that makes calculations people whose Prim","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":30.24,"end_s":37.0,"text":"role is to quickly do large amounts of math have existed as long as complex","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":34.879,"end_s":42.32,"text":"societies have thanks to things like taxes however if we want to know what","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":39.079,"end_s":45.2,"text":"the first formal computational tool was","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":42.32,"end_s":48.879,"text":"well an obvious candidate is the Abacus neither of those feels like a satisfying","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":47.36,"end_s":53.559,"text":"answer though and you probably wouldn't accept either in a game of trivia if you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":51.199,"end_s":59.28,"text":"were on my team yes but if I was playing against you definitely not if we instead","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":56.359,"end_s":64.239,"text":"take computer to mean a machine designed to model solve a theoretical problem","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":61.68,"end_s":69.72,"text":"well the first known computer is still surprisingly ancient the antia mechanism","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":67.52,"end_s":74.759,"text":"is a bronze mechanical device about the size of a large book that was discovered","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":71.68,"end_s":77.96,"text":"in 1901 inside of a Greek shipwreck that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":74.759,"end_s":80.439,"text":"sank over 2,000 years ago the device was","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":77.96,"end_s":85.24,"text":"found to contain surprisingly small interlocking gears the largest being 5","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":83.28,"end_s":90.72,"text":"in in diameter and it was later determined to be a kind of hand cranked","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":87.92,"end_s":95.56,"text":"analog computer its purpose was most likely to calculate how the positions of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":93.079,"end_s":100.36,"text":"the Sun the moon and the known planets would change with the passage of time","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":97.68,"end_s":104.68,"text":"allowing the user to predict eclipses keep in mind that this was back when","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":102.32,"end_s":109.96,"text":"academics had the Earth in the center of the planetary system rather than the Sun","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":106.88,"end_s":112.159,"text":"so if this thing was in any way accurate","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":109.96,"end_s":117.68,"text":"it must have been crazy complicated while it's unlikely that this kind of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":114.479,"end_s":120.2,"text":"complex mechanism was common 2,000 years","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":117.68,"end_s":125.119,"text":"ago it raises the possibility that other oddly Advanced devices from the era once","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":122.92,"end_s":130.679,"text":"existed and have simply been lost to time we do know of other simpler devices","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":127.92,"end_s":134.4,"text":"from this time like the planisphere a type of adjustable star chart that can","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":132.56,"end_s":139.2,"text":"show which stars will be visible on a given date and the astrola another kind","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":137.4,"end_s":143.44,"text":"of star chart which could be used to track heavenly bodies and solve","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":141.12,"end_s":147.64,"text":"spherical trigonometry problems making it useful for navigation but the Greeks","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":145.84,"end_s":151.92,"text":"aren't the only ancient civilization where we've discovered evidence of early","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":149.48,"end_s":157.319,"text":"analog computers according to Chinese writings engineer M Jun created what is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":154.68,"end_s":162.599,"text":"called a South pointing Chariot in the 3rd Century this was a mechanical device","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":160.239,"end_s":166.319,"text":"stylized to look like a doll pointing its finger the doll would sit at top the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":164.519,"end_s":170.599,"text":"roof of your chariot and it would Point continuously in One Direction no matter","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":168.72,"end_s":174.519,"text":"which way the Chariot turned now to do this it used a differential gear that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":172.72,"end_s":178.36,"text":"would compensate for the Turning of the wheels keeping the device pointed the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":176.56,"end_s":182.239,"text":"same direction it was set to at the beginning of the journey for for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":179.959,"end_s":187.04,"text":"cultural reasons they were set to Point South if that seems odd just remember","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":184.72,"end_s":191.76,"text":"modern magnetic compasses don't actually Point North they align themselves with","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":189.56,"end_s":196.36,"text":"the globe's magnetic field meaning they Point both North and South we just think","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":194.44,"end_s":201.68,"text":"of them as only pointing North for our own arbitrary cultural reasons in any","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":199.04,"end_s":205.959,"text":"case this kind of old school GPS had some pretty serious limitations with","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":204.159,"end_s":210.959,"text":"modern technology we can create extremely precise gears but small","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":208.92,"end_s":215.519,"text":"inconsistencies in these third Century gears would compound over the course of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":213.36,"end_s":220.239,"text":"even relatively short Journeys causing the device to gradually drift over time","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":218.64,"end_s":224.2,"text":"realistically you'd only be able to travel a few miles before that drift","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":222.2,"end_s":228.599,"text":"became significant and its orientation would need to be reset and that's before","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":226.319,"end_s":234.799,"text":"the gears started to wear unevenly with use also a mechanical device that can","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":231.239,"end_s":237.04,"text":"only solve one problem where is South is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":234.799,"end_s":240.84,"text":"pretty limited so what was the first programmable machine we'll tell you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":239.36,"end_s":246.36,"text":"right after we thank the sponsor of this video private internet access Pia's VPN","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":243.92,"end_s":250.72,"text":"network spans across six continents and 91 countries letting you access your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":248.56,"end_s":254.12,"text":"local catalog of content from all over the globe plus with a single","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":252.56,"end_s":258.72,"text":"subscription you get unlimited connections making it easy to run Pia on","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":256.72,"end_s":262.68,"text":"practically any device we previously partnered with Pia for years and they","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":260.799,"end_s":267.32,"text":"just concluded their second security audit putting further emphasis on your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":264.72,"end_s":270.44,"text":"privacy and security so go check out Pia using our Link in the description for a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":268.88,"end_s":274.84,"text":"special deal with with a risk-free 30-day money back guarantee one possible","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":273.24,"end_s":279.36,"text":"candidate for the world's first programmable machine is found in the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":277.12,"end_s":284.88,"text":"book of ingenious devices which was written by the Banu Musa Brothers of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":281.84,"end_s":286.84,"text":"Persia and published in the year 850 the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":284.88,"end_s":292.16,"text":"book describes a number of mechanical devices including an automatic water","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":288.919,"end_s":294.199,"text":"fountain hot and cold running Taps and a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":292.16,"end_s":299.12,"text":"pressure sensor they also included a steam powered flute and a water-powered","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":296.8,"end_s":304.32,"text":"organ both instruments could be programmed by swapping out a cylinder","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":301.68,"end_s":308.6,"text":"with raised pins indicating notes in order to play different music you can","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":306.52,"end_s":313.639,"text":"find a similar cylinder mechanism in modern-day windup music boxes which have","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":311.44,"end_s":318.639,"text":"largely been replaced with Tik Tok arguably the first analog computers that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":316.56,"end_s":322.88,"text":"wound up widely used by the average person were clocks human beings have","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":321.199,"end_s":326.919,"text":"been trying to devise more and more precise methods of measuring time for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":324.88,"end_s":331.88,"text":"thousands of years using everything from Shadows to water to sand to incense to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":329.72,"end_s":335.72,"text":"candles to gravity tried basically everything while the average hunter or","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":333.84,"end_s":340.039,"text":"farmer probably didn't need to know what time it was beyond morning noon and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":338.0,"end_s":343.84,"text":"night just try to imagine running a government without clocks how are you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":341.759,"end_s":347.68,"text":"supposed to schedule a meeting you could try a pigeon based conference call but","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":345.88,"end_s":353.28,"text":"you just know that none of your scribes are wearing pants it just it's icky the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":350.56,"end_s":359.12,"text":"first known clock with gears goes back to the 3rd Century BC a century prior to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":356.44,"end_s":364.479,"text":"the antitha mechanism and was created by the math ician Archimedes it was waterp","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":362.199,"end_s":368.96,"text":"powerered like many earlier clocks but it also blew a whistle and it made a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":366.68,"end_s":373.319,"text":"little model owl flap its wings to Mark the hour making it kind of the world's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":371.24,"end_s":379.36,"text":"first cuckoo clock so C kudos to him fully mechanical","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":377.36,"end_s":385.039,"text":"clocks wouldn't arise until the 12th century mechanical calculators wouldn't","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":381.4,"end_s":386.88,"text":"come about until the 17th un odd aspect","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":385.039,"end_s":392.16,"text":"of the history of these kinds of devices is that they were variously invented","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":389.039,"end_s":393.639,"text":"lost rediscovered reinvented and passed","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":392.16,"end_s":397.96,"text":"back and forth between different civilizations in the modern day we tend","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":396.16,"end_s":401.52,"text":"to take for granted that the invention of the steam engine kicked off the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":399.759,"end_s":405.84,"text":"Industrial Revolution and that the invention of the programmable Loom","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":403.599,"end_s":409.88,"text":"inevitably led to the general purpose digital computer and at the risk of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":407.479,"end_s":414.759,"text":"going a bit off topic it's notable that not only did ancient engineers create a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":412.28,"end_s":419.599,"text":"number of astonishing Analog Devices and complex machines they also created their","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":417.16,"end_s":424.759,"text":"own steam engine writings from the first first century BCE by Roman architect","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":422.28,"end_s":429.16,"text":"Vitruvius describe a kind of simple steam engine while it couldn't have been","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":426.8,"end_s":433.759,"text":"particularly powerful or efficient it both worked and produced torque with the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":431.72,"end_s":438.44,"text":"information we have it's unclear if this engine or anything like it was ever put","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":435.96,"end_s":442.599,"text":"to practical use it may have been just a novelty or educational device used to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":440.639,"end_s":446.319,"text":"demonstrate the physics of weather it's fun to imagine however what would have","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":444.479,"end_s":449.8,"text":"happened if ancient Scholars had continued developing this kind of tech","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":448.319,"end_s":454.4,"text":"could we have had an industrial Revolution that began in ancient Greece","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":452.12,"end_s":459.12,"text":"rather than in 18th century Britain or alternatively will we wind up losing the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":456.879,"end_s":463.24,"text":"knowledge we have now only to ReDiscover it in another 2,000 years quick print","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":461.639,"end_s":467.44,"text":"out this video's automatically generated transcript Humanity depends on you and I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":465.96,"end_s":471.68,"text":"depend on the fact that you watch this entire video for my happiness thank you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":470.08,"end_s":475.199,"text":"for watching like the video if you liked it dislike it if you disliked it check","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":473.36,"end_s":479.199,"text":"out this one where we explain the difference between an analog and a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":476.96,"end_s":483.0,"text":"digital computer you probably already knew though you're so smart","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"what was the first computer well that depends a lot on what you mean by computer I mean we're all used to stored program general purpose digital computers but those have only been around for less than a hundred years the first aniac or the electronic numerical integrator and computer was created for the US Military and was completed only in 1945 by the literal meaning of the word a computer is a person or tool that makes calculations people whose Prim role is to quickly do large amounts of math have existed as long as complex societies have thanks to things like taxes however if we want to know what the first formal computational tool was well an obvious candidate is the Abacus neither of those feels like a satisfying answer though and you probably wouldn't accept either in a game of trivia if you were on my team yes but if I was playing against you definitely not if we instead take computer to mean a machine designed to model solve a theoretical problem well the first known computer is still surprisingly ancient the antia mechanism is a bronze mechanical device about the size of a large book that was discovered in 1901 inside of a Greek shipwreck that sank over 2,000 years ago the device was found to contain surprisingly small interlocking gears the largest being 5 in in diameter and it was later determined to be a kind of hand cranked analog computer its purpose was most likely to calculate how the positions of the Sun the moon and the known planets would change with the passage of time allowing the user to predict eclipses keep in mind that this was back when academics had the Earth in the center of the planetary system rather than the Sun so if this thing was in any way accurate it must have been crazy complicated while it's unlikely that this kind of complex mechanism was common 2,000 years ago it raises the possibility that other oddly Advanced devices from the era once existed and have simply been lost to time we do know of other simpler devices from this time like the planisphere a type of adjustable star chart that can show which stars will be visible on a given date and the astrola another kind of star chart which could be used to track heavenly bodies and solve spherical trigonometry problems making it useful for navigation but the Greeks aren't the only ancient civilization where we've discovered evidence of early analog computers according to Chinese writings engineer M Jun created what is called a South pointing Chariot in the 3rd Century this was a mechanical device stylized to look like a doll pointing its finger the doll would sit at top the roof of your chariot and it would Point continuously in One Direction no matter which way the Chariot turned now to do this it used a differential gear that would compensate for the Turning of the wheels keeping the device pointed the same direction it was set to at the beginning of the journey for for cultural reasons they were set to Point South if that seems odd just remember modern magnetic compasses don't actually Point North they align themselves with the globe's magnetic field meaning they Point both North and South we just think of them as only pointing North for our own arbitrary cultural reasons in any case this kind of old school GPS had some pretty serious limitations with modern technology we can create extremely precise gears but small inconsistencies in these third Century gears would compound over the course of even relatively short Journeys causing the device to gradually drift over time realistically you'd only be able to travel a few miles before that drift became significant and its orientation would need to be reset and that's before the gears started to wear unevenly with use also a mechanical device that can only solve one problem where is South is pretty limited so what was the first programmable machine we'll tell you right after we thank the sponsor of this video private internet access Pia's VPN network spans across six continents and 91 countries letting you access your local catalog of content from all over the globe plus with a single subscription you get unlimited connections making it easy to run Pia on practically any device we previously partnered with Pia for years and they just concluded their second security audit putting further emphasis on your privacy and security so go check out Pia using our Link in the description for a special deal with with a risk-free 30-day money back guarantee one possible candidate for the world's first programmable machine is found in the book of ingenious devices which was written by the Banu Musa Brothers of Persia and published in the year 850 the book describes a number of mechanical devices including an automatic water fountain hot and cold running Taps and a pressure sensor they also included a steam powered flute and a water-powered organ both instruments could be programmed by swapping out a cylinder with raised pins indicating notes in order to play different music you can find a similar cylinder mechanism in modern-day windup music boxes which have largely been replaced with Tik Tok arguably the first analog computers that wound up widely used by the average person were clocks human beings have been trying to devise more and more precise methods of measuring time for thousands of years using everything from Shadows to water to sand to incense to candles to gravity tried basically everything while the average hunter or farmer probably didn't need to know what time it was beyond morning noon and night just try to imagine running a government without clocks how are you supposed to schedule a meeting you could try a pigeon based conference call but you just know that none of your scribes are wearing pants it just it's icky the first known clock with gears goes back to the 3rd Century BC a century prior to the antitha mechanism and was created by the math ician Archimedes it was waterp powerered like many earlier clocks but it also blew a whistle and it made a little model owl flap its wings to Mark the hour making it kind of the world's first cuckoo clock so C kudos to him fully mechanical clocks wouldn't arise until the 12th century mechanical calculators wouldn't come about until the 17th un odd aspect of the history of these kinds of devices is that they were variously invented lost rediscovered reinvented and passed back and forth between different civilizations in the modern day we tend to take for granted that the invention of the steam engine kicked off the Industrial Revolution and that the invention of the programmable Loom inevitably led to the general purpose digital computer and at the risk of going a bit off topic it's notable that not only did ancient engineers create a number of astonishing Analog Devices and complex machines they also created their own steam engine writings from the first first century BCE by Roman architect Vitruvius describe a kind of simple steam engine while it couldn't have been particularly powerful or efficient it both worked and produced torque with the information we have it's unclear if this engine or anything like it was ever put to practical use it may have been just a novelty or educational device used to demonstrate the physics of weather it's fun to imagine however what would have happened if ancient Scholars had continued developing this kind of tech could we have had an industrial Revolution that began in ancient Greece rather than in 18th century Britain or alternatively will we wind up losing the knowledge we have now only to ReDiscover it in another 2,000 years quick print out this video's automatically generated transcript Humanity depends on you and I depend on the fact that you watch this entire video for my happiness thank you for watching like the video if you liked it dislike it if you disliked it check out this one where we explain the difference between an analog and a digital computer you probably already knew though you're so smart"}