What was the first electric/electronic computer used for? When was it made?
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The first *programmable* computer was made in Germany by Konrad Zuse in the late 1930s and early 1940s. They were electromechanical. \nMost of the machines were destroyed by Allied bombings in WW2, so nothing much became of it. The next "big thing" in computers was vacuum tubes.
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In the March, 1974, issue of QST magazine there appeared the first advertisement for a "personal computer." It was called the Scelbi (SCientific, ELectronic and BIological) and designed by the Scelbi Computer Consulting Company of Milford, Connecticut. Based on Intel's 8008 microprocessor, Scelbi sold for $565 and came with 1K of programmable memory, with an additional 15K of memory available for $2760. The second "personal computer kit" was the Mark-8 (also Intel 8008 based) designed by Jonathan Titus.\n--------------------------\nIn 1977, Radio Shack introduced its TRS-80 microcomputer, also nicknamed the "Trash-80". It was based on the Zilog Z80 processor (an 8-bit microprocessor whose instruction set is a superset of the Intel 8080)\n-----------------------------\nPersonal note... I was among the first users of the TRS-80, using it with my ham radio hobby for generation and decoding Morse code and radio teletype.
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Here you go\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_computing\n\n///
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In my opinion best thing invented by man is electric power.Its help to develope indusry ato a greate extent
453159
Charles Babbage invented the computing machine..\n\nIts was series is research done to get the current form of computers
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Yes, there were indeed computers and they were extremely expensive.\n\nENIAC, short for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, was the first large-scale, electronic, digital computer capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing problems, although earlier computers had been built with some of these properties. ENIAC was developed and built by the U.S. Army for their Ballistics Research Laboratory in 1942, with the purpose of calculating ballistic firing tables. The computer was commissioned on May 17, 1943 as Project PX and constructed at Penn's Moore School of Electrical Engineering from mid-1944. It was unveiled on February 14, 1946 at the University of Pennsylvania, having cost almost $500,000. ENIAC was shut down on November 9, 1946 for a refurbishment and a memory upgrade, and was transferred to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland in 1947. There, on July 29 of that year, it was turned on and would be in continuous operation until 11:45 p.m. on October 2, 1955.\n\nThe American Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) (1937–42) was the first electronic digital computer. It implemented binary computation with vacuum tubes but was not Turing-complete and was limited to solving linear equations. \n\nThe Harvard Mk I is an ever earlier example.
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First generation language was purely numerical machine code, meaning binary strings standing for a series of instructions often intermixed with data, it was the only way to Program the real first Generation computers that were developed around the 1950's. These were built from electronic valve technology. Consequently they were large, consumed a great deal of electrical power, and were not reliable enough for continuous operation.
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Take a look here :\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_history\n\nThat article also has links to other relevant articles.
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Here's an interesting page about early PC's. Keep scrolling down when the page opens.  It's rather interesting. \nhttp://www.blinkenlights.com/pc.shtml\n\nAnd, here's Wiki's entry:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_computing_hardware
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PC Convertible, released April 3, 1986, was IBM's first laptop computer and was also the first IBM computer to utilize the now-standard 3.5" floppy disk. Like modern laptops, it featured power management and the ability to run from batteries.\n\nAlso known as the IBM 5140, it utilized an Intel 80c88 CPU (a CMOS version of the Intel 8088) running at 4.77 MHz, 256 kB of RAM (expandable to 512 kB), dual 720 kB 3.5" floppy drives, and a monochrome CGA-compatible LCD screen at a price of $2,000. It weighed 13 pounds and featured a built-in carrying handle.\n\nThe PC Convertible had expansion capabilities through a proprietary ISA bus-based port on the rear of the machine. Extension modules, including a small printer and a video output module, could be snapped into place. The machine could also take an internal modem, but there was no room for an internal hard disk.\n\nPressing the power button on the computer did not turn it off, but put the machine into a "suspend" mode. This avoided the long process of booting up.\n\nThe screen was not very tall, so text characters and graphics were compressed vertically, appearing about half their normal height. However, the display was capable of resolutions of 80x25 (text), 640x200, and 320x200.\n\nThe machine sold very poorly, because it competed against faster portables based on the Intel 80286 that offered optional hard drives from companies such as Compaq, and laptops from companies such as Toshiba and Zenith that were lighter and offered similar specifications, sometimes at half the price. The screen and keyboard were also widely criticized.
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Michael Faraday in 1821 was a pioneer in the field of electric motors.  He is credited with making the first electric motor, but it was more experimental than practical.\n\nBut the type of motor we see today was invented accidentally by Zénobe Gramme in 1873.
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Charles Babbage was the first to conceptualize and design a fully programmable computer as early as 1820, but due to a combination of the limits of the technology of the time, limited finance, and an inability to resist tinkering with his design, the device was never actually constructed in his lifetime. A number of technologies that would later prove useful in computing, such as the punch card and the vacuum tube had appeared by the end of the 19th century, and large-scale automated data processing using punch cards was performed by tabulating machines designed by Hermann Hollerith.
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MEDICAL,ENGEENIERCOMPUTER ETC.
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Babbage's machine was really a difference engine.\nThe fist electronic computer was build in Britain by the Post Office Research Branch in 1943.
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Second Generation Computers (1956-1963) \n\nThe invention of Transistors marked the start of the second generation. These transistors took place of the vacuum tubes used in the first generation computers. First large scale machines were made using these technologies to meet the requirements of atomic energy laboratories. One of the other benefits to the programming group was that the second generation replaced Machine language with the assembly language. Even though complex in itself Assemly language was much easier than the binary code. \n\nSecond generation computers also started showing the characteristics of modern day computers with utilities such as printers, disk storage and operating systems. Many financial information was processed using these computers. \n\nIn Second Generation computers, the instructions(program) could be stored inside the computer's memory. High-level languages such as COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) and FORTRAN (Formula Translator) were used, and they are still used for some applications nowdays. \n\nThird Generation Computers (1964-1971) \n\nAlthough transistors were great deal of improvement over the vacuum tubes, they generated heat and damaged the sensitive areas of the computer. The Intergreated Circuit(IC) was invented in 1958 by Jack Kilby. It combined electronic components onto a small silicon disc, made from quartz. More advancement made possible the fitings of even more components on a small chip or a semi conductor. Also in third generation computers, the operating systems allowed the machines to run many different applications. These applications were monitored and coordinated by the computer's memory. \n\nFourth Generation (1971-Present) \n\nFourth Generation computers are the modern day computers. The Size started to go down with the improvement in the integerated circuits. Very Large Scale(VLSI) and Ultra Large scale(ULSI) ensured that millions of components could be fit into a small chip. It reduced the size and price of the computers at the same time increasing power, efficiency and reliability. "The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, took the integrated circuit one step further by locating all the components of a computer (central processing unit, memory, and input and output controls) on a minuscule chip." \n\nDue to the reduction of cost and the availability of the computers power at a small place allowed everyday user to benefit. First came the minicomputers, which offered users different applications, most famous of these the word processors and spreadsheets, which could be used by non-technical users. Video game systems like Atari 2600 generated the interest of general populace in the computers. \n\nIn 1981, IBM introduced personal computers for home and office use. "The number of personal computers in use more than doubled from 2 million in 1981 to 5.5 million in 1982. Ten years later, 65 million PCs were being used." Computer size kept getting reduced during the years. It went down from Desktop to laptops to Palmtops. Machintosh introduecd Graphic User Interface in which the users didnt' have to type instructions but could use Mouse for the purpose. \n\nThe continued improvement allowed the networking of computers for the sharing of data. Local Area Networks(LAN) and Wide Area Network(WAN), were potential benefits, in that they could be implemented in corporations and everybody could share data over it. Soon the internet aand World Wide Web appeared on the computer scene and formented the Hi-Tech revolution of 90's.\n\nFifth Generation (Present and Beyond) \n\nFifth generations computers are only in the minds of advance research scientiets and being tested out in the laboratories. These computers will be under Artifical Intelligence(AI), They will be able to take commands in a audio visual way and carry out instructions. Many of the operations which requires low human intelligence will be perfomed by these computers. \n\nParal
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Canon made computers in the late 1980's and early 1990's, but they stopped sometime around 1993.  There was simply to much competition.\n\nThey made laptops up until the late 1990's, but I believe they even stopped making those around 1998-1999.
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you should go to the EMP in Seattle, WA.  they have a whole exhibit on the history of the guitar.  it's really long.  but here's a website to help you out.\n\ni know that the fender telecaster was the first successful electric guitar (according to the EMP.)  its technology paved the way for modern electric guitars.