Quiz Champion

The very first recorded computer "bug" was a moth found inside a Harvard Mark II computer.

  • True
  • False
Explanation

The answer is true because the incident of finding a moth inside the Harvard Mark II computer is indeed recognized as the first recorded computer bug. On September 9, 1947, when operators were investigating a malfunctioning relay in the computer, they discovered a literal bug, a moth, stuck between the points of the relay. The term "bug" was then coined to refer to any issue or malfunction in a computer system, leading to the origins of the popular term used today in the context of computer programming. The actual moth is now preserved and displayed at the Smithsonian Institution. This incident is considered significant as it highlights the early challenges faced in early computing and represents the beginning of documenting and debugging computer issues.