This article is more than 7 years old

66 years ago today, on the 9th September, 1947, operators of the Mark II Aiken Relay Computer being tested at Harvard University, found something curious trapped between points at Relay #70, Panel F.

A moth.

A note made at the time explains, this was the “first actual case of bug being found”. History records that the legendary Grace Hopper was the person who located the moth, and in so doing, helped popularise the idea of “debugging computers”.

Update: See the comments to this article below – which debunk Grace Hopper’s involvement in the discovery of the moth. Although it does appear she helped the incident gain exposure.

Grace Hopper, affectionately known as “Amazing Grace” and “Grandma COBOL”, went on to become something of a computing celebrity. A 20th Century Ada Lovelace, if you will.

Sadly, no record has been made of the moth’s identity for its considerable contribution to the world of technology, although it has achieved a certain immortality of its own thanks to a yellowing strip of Scotch tape.

The log book now resides at the National Museum of American History, but apparently is not currently on public view – which seems a shame.

Found this article interesting? Follow Graham Cluley on Twitter to read more of the exclusive content we post.