The Origin of the Term 'Computer Bug'
Source of the article: https://interestingengineering.com/the-origin-of-the-term-computer-bug
The origin and history of "Computer Bugs" is a surprisingly long and fascinating one.
The term "Computer Bug" or "Software Bug" is ubiquitous in IT parlance but where did the term actually come from? Although the modern forms have only existed since the invention of computers and software, the use of the term "bug" is much older indeed.
What was the first use of the term "bug"?
Although the term "Computer Bug" is a relatively recent construct (i.e. only applied to IT with the rise of computers) the term 'bug' has been used in informal engineering terminology for some time.
The very concept, though not the term, might date as far back as 1843 when Ada Lovelace spoke about the possibility of problematic program "cards" used in Charles Babbage's analytical engine.
In an 1843 letter, she noted:-"an analyzing process must equally have been performed in order to furnish the Analytical Engine with the necessary operative data, and that herein may also lie a possible source of error. Granted that the actual mechanism is unerring in its processes, the cards may give it wrong orders."
The first recorded use of the term 'bug', with regards to being an error or malfunction in a machine, comes from none other than Thomas Edison. In an 1878letter to an associate (which was sold in an auction in 2018), he noted:-“You were partly correct, I did find a ‘bug’ in my apparatus, but it was not in the telephone proper. It was of the genus ‘callbellum.’ The insect appears to find conditions for its existence in all call apparatus of telephones.”
Source: Adapted from SwannGalleries
What was the first "Computer Bug" called?
Although this appears to be a common question its a bit of a misnomer. Glossing over the early past use of the term in engineering jargon (which predated the electronic computer in any case) the "first real Computer Bug" wasn't actually named per se.
Famously the very first instance of a computer bug was recorded at 3:45 pm (15:45) on the 9th of September 1947. This "bug" was an actual real-life, well ex-moth, that was extracted from the number 70 relay, Panel F, of the Harvard Mark II Aiken Relay Calculator.
This "bug" was preserved for all time behind a piece of adhesive tape on the machines logbook with the now immortalized phrase "[The] First actual case of a bug being found".
So the first "Computer Bug" was, in fact, a real insect.
The cause appears to have been the programming team's, that including Grace Hopper, late night shift who left the windows of the room open at night. This was more than enough for the moth, with a two-inch wingspan (5 cm) to be attracted by the lights in the room and the heat of the calculator. Source: Adapted from Wikimedia Commons
It is thought this is why it was attracted to nestle in the 'gubbins' ofthe Mark II Harvard where it met its unfortunate end.
Moth's and over insects tend to exhibit a behavior called transverse orientation. This is the way in which insects tend to navigate and they do this by flying at relative angles to a distant light source.
For millions of years, this strategy served insects well allowing nocturnal genera to navigate by the light of the moon. Of course with the advent of electricity, more importantly, artificial lighting, they do get confused on fairly regular occasions.
"This log book, complete with attached moth, is part of the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, though it is not currently on display.
While it is certain that the Harvard Mark II operators did not coin the term 'bug', it has been suggested that the incident contributed to the widespread use and acceptance of the term within the computer software lexicon." - Graham Cluley
Did Grace Hopper find the first "Computer Bug"?
Grace Hopper was released from active service after the war in 1946 when she joined the Harvard Faculty at their Computation Laboratory. Here she continued her work on the Mark II and Mark III computers. On the 9th September, 1947 Grace traced an error on the Mark II to a dead moth that was trapped in a relay. The insect was carefully removed and taped to the log book and the term computer bug was coined. Henceforth the term "Bug" was used to describe any errors or glitches in a program. Source: Grace Hopper, American Computer Scientist is a photograph by Science Source
However, as Grace often espoused, she neither coined the phrase nor found the insect in question herself. In fact, it was her team who found the offending organism, extracted it and duly noted its presence (and remains) in the Mark II's logbook.
These engineers included William "Bill" Burke (who later worked at the Naval Weapons Laboratory, Virginia). Bill and his colleagues were clearly well versed in the meaning of the term and Hopper would later take great pleasure in recalling the story.
If you want to know more about Computer bugs, here is the link: https://interestingengineering.com/the-origin-of-the-term-computer-bug