Colossus, the first large-scale electronic computer, which went into operation in 1944 at Britain's wartime code-breaking headquarters at Bletchley Park. The Colossus computer at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, England, c. 1943.

When was Colossus Mark invented?

After a functional test, Colossus Mk 1 was delivered to Bletchley Park in late December 1943 / January 1944, was assembled there by Harry Fensom and Don Horwood, and was working in early February 1944. Colossus was the first of the electronic digital machines with programmability, albeit limited in modern terms.

Why was Colossus created?

Colossus was a set of computers developed by British codebreakers in the years 1943–1945 to help in the cryptanalysis of the Lorenz cipher. Colossus used thermionic valves (vacuum tubes) to perform Boolean and counting operations. ... Ten Colossi were in use by the end of the war and an eleventh was being commissioned.