Introducing Colossus: the World's First Digital, Electronic Computer

The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) is home to the world's largest collection of working historic computers.Follow the development of computing: from the Turing-Welchman Bombe and Colossus of the 1940s through the large systems and mainframes of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, to the rise of personal computing and the rise of mobile computing and the internet.Recognised as one of England’s top 100 ‘irreplaceable places’, we welcome corporate and group visits, schools and individuals from all over the world.We are normally open Tuesday to Friday 10:30 -17:00, Saturday & Sunday 10:30 – 17:00. Please check tickets for actual opening days and times.TNMOC operates independently of Bletchley Park Trust, although we are located on the Bletchley Park Estate.To visit us, go through the main Bletchley Park entrance, through the barrier, walk or drive bearing left beyond the main car parks, to our separate entrance located at the top of the Park.Visit their website here for more information.https://www.tnmoc.org/Sat Nav users: please use the postcode for the railway station MK3 6DS on Sherwood Drive and then follow signs. The postcode for Bletchley Park will actually take you to an old entrance which is closed.

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Colossus, based in Block H on Bletchley Park, had a single purpose: to help decipher messages sent by German High Command in WW2.

Virtual Talks and Lectures

Can't get to us in person? You don't have to miss out! Delve into an enticing and varied selection of tech-based topics, learning from brilliant experts in the comfort of your own home, with our programme of live virtual talks.

Colossus machines - the world's first electronic, digital computers - had a single purpose: to help decipher the Lorenz-encrypted messages between Hitler and his generals during World War II. The information gleaned from the decrypted messages is widely acknowledged to have shortened the war by many months, saving tens of thousands of lives. Colossus machines were in operation at Bletchley Park from early February 1944, although the building in which the earliest Colossi were housed, F Block, has since been demolished. Out of a total of 10 machines, six Colossi (Nos 5 - 10) were in operation in Block H at Bletchley Park during WW2. Colossus was preceded by several computers, many of them being a first in some category. Colossus, however, was the first that was digital and electronic. The first fully programmable digital electronic computer capable of running a stored program was still some way off in the form of the Manchester Small Scale Experimental Machine (1948). The use to which the Colossi were put was of the highest secrecy, and Colossus itself was highly secret, and remained so for many years after the War. Colossus was not included in the history of computing hardware for decades, and Flowers and the GPO engineers who worked alongside him were deprived of the recognition they were due for many years. In this online lecture, TNMOC volunteer Peter Hoath will explain about the origins of Colossus, and the brilliant minds that brought it into existence. Hosted as part of <a href="https://histfestbucks.co.uk/" title="https://histfestbucks.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Buckinghamshire History Festival</a>.

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Introducing Colossus: the World's First Digital, Electronic Computer

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Introducing Colossus: the World's First Digital, Electronic Computer

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