Episode 174 - The Bell Model I
From Advent of Computing by Sean Haas
January 12, 2026 · 1h 3m · Episode 174
About this episode
This episode discusses George Stibitz's contributions to early computing and the historical context of his work.
We are getting back to the actual digital family tree. In 1937 George Stibitz built a tiny binary adding circuit on his kitchen table using scraps he "liberated" from his job at Bell Labs. In 1940 he demonstrated a machine he called a computer. That research forms one of the foundations of modern computing. It also forms a weird temporal phenomenon that I have yet to name. Maybe the Curse of '37? Selected Sources: Zeroth Generation by George Stibitz (NOW WITH A 2nd EDITION!) http://www.bitsavers.org/magazines/Datamation/196704.pdf - Stibitz in Datamation
People in this episode
Host: Sean Haas
Topics covered
- digital family tree
- history of computing
- binary adding circuit
- George Stibitz
- Bell Labs
- modern computing
Keywords
- George Stibitz
- Bell Labs
- binary circuit
- history of computing
- digital family tree
- modern computing
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Bell Labs
Books & works: Zeroth Generation by George Stibitz
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- Episode 178 - The Programma 101 · March 22, 2026 · 1h 3m
- Dan Temkin - Forty-Four Esolangs · March 9, 2026 · 52 min
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