ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) was the world’s first general-purpose computer.
ENIAC was designed and built for the United States Army to calculate artillery firing tables. However, it was ENIAC’s power and general-purpose programmability that excited the public’s imagination. When it was announced in 1946, ENIAC was referred to in the media as a “giant brain.”
ENIAC weighed 30 tons and covered an area of about 1,800 square feet. In contrast, a current smartphone weighs a few ounces and is small enough to slip into a pocket.