During the early to mid-twentieth century, the word computer did not refer to a machine at all, but was actually an official job title given to human beings, primarily women, who…

A closer look

During the early to mid-twentieth century, the word computer did not refer to a machine at all, but was actually an official job title given to human beings, primarily women, who performed tedious mathematical calculations by hand for scientists and engineers. Before silicon chips and circuit boards, space agencies and military defense programs literally relied on rows of exhausted humans grinding out ballistic trajectories on graphing paper. The sheer irony is that we replaced these human calculators with lightning-fast machines to eliminate grunt work and liberate mankind, only to end up sitting in front of those exact same machines eight hours a day doing entirely different, equally soul-crushing administrative tasks. We essentially automated the math but somehow managed to keep all of the misery perfectly intact