History of computing
For the theme of our third special episode of Digital Planet, we're taking at look back at the history of computing with an episode recorded largely on location at Bletchley Park, which lies just outside Milton Keynes in the UK, a city which also happens to be home to The Open University.
Bletchley Park
A country mansion, reinvented as a code-breaking factory, inspires modern computing. Learn the extraordinary story of Bletchley Park.
Colossus
At the heart of the code-breaking effort was an incredible piece of engineering, the world's first programmable computing device: Colossus.
Do you want chiptunes with that?
It's not just the computer industry that has taken inspiration from Colossus. Discover a unique fusion of retro gaming and music: chiptunes.
A calculated victory
The ability to shift and analyse data has always been crucial in warfare - in the Second World War, that process became mechanised for the first time. It was the birth of modern computing.
Content last updated: 26/05/2009
