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Tom Kilburn

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description Tom Kilburn Overview

Tom Kilburn was an English mathematician and computer scientist associated with the early development of stored-program computing at the University of Manchester. Working with Freddie Williams, he co-developed the Williams-Kilburn tube, an electronic memory device used in early computers. Kilburn also wrote the program for the Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine, known as the Baby, which ran in 1948 and demonstrated stored-program operation.

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What did Tom Kilburn invent with Frederic Williams?

Tom Kilburn and Frederic C. Williams developed the Williams-Kilburn tube, an early electronic random-access memory using a cathode-ray tube. The technology was tested in the Manchester Baby at the University of Manchester.

When did Tom Kilburn run the first stored-program computer program?

The Manchester Baby successfully ran its first program on June 21, 1948. Kilburn wrote a 17-instruction program that calculated the highest factor of a number.

What was the Manchester Baby?

The Baby, formally the Small-Scale Experimental Machine, was an experimental computer built to demonstrate electronic stored-program memory. It was not designed as a commercial computer, but it led toward the Manchester Mark 1.

Did Alan Turing build the Manchester Baby with Tom Kilburn?

Turing was connected with the Manchester computing project and later helped with the Manchester Mark 1, but Kilburn led the construction of the Baby with Geoff Tootill and Frederic Williams. The Baby's first program was Kilburn's work in June 1948.

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