small test model of Alan Turing’s Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) runs its first program. It’s an electronic computer with a program stored on board. Turing was the first to draw up detailed specifications for such a machine, but, as a result, it was beaten by the Manchester Baby from the University of Manchester. ACE has a clock speed of 1 MHz and, for a while, is the fastest computer in the world. DEUCE, its first commercial version, is built by the EEC (English Electric Company). It will sell 30 of them, which is a lot. Consider that Charles Darwin, director of the National Physical Lab and grandson of the famous naturalist, stated in 1946 that a single computer will be more than sufficient to satisfy the needs of the entire nation.
