Antikythera Mechanism

Today marks the 115-year anniversary of the day Valerios Stais discovered Antikythera Mechanism, as it is now known—the oldest computer in existence.

Valerios Stais was a Greek archaeologist, and he stumbled upon a rusted, chunk of metal that he came to realize was, indeed, the first computer.

Google Doodle commemorates the anniversary with illustrations of "how a rusty remnant can open up a skyful of knowledge and inspiration."

The sub-ancient machine was the first analogical computer, and ancient Greeks used it to chart what they deemed to be the movement of the sun as well as that of the moon and other planets.

They wanted to be able to anticipate eclipses, both solar and lunar.

This was an astronomical calculator capable of carrying it several fundamental, mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

The machine was also capable of juxtaposing and aligning the lunar months with years, and it could point out where the sun and moon were in accordance with the zodiac.

The machine is rather involved with about 30 complicated, bronze gears encapsulated in a wooden and bronze case the size of a shoebox.It was built near the close of the 2nd Century BC.

Due to the mechanical functions of Antikythera Mechanism, it has been dubbed the world's true first computer.