2000 B.C.Abacus

The Abacus was heralded as the first true calculating machine which dates back to 2000 BC. The modern form of the Abacus appeared in China in the 13th Century A.D. The Chinese Abacus has 13 columns with 2 beads on top (denoted as heaven) and 5 beads on bottom (denoted as earth) and is still taught today in some Eastern countries. In 1946 a contest similar to the recent chess match with Big Blue was held. For two days an abacist was pitted against an electronic computer. Unmistakably the abacist held victory after victory.