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Definition: Z1


(1) One of the first personal computers. See Cromemco.

(2) A mechanical computer built by German technology pioneer Konrad Zuse. Built in the home of Zuse's parents from 1936 to 1938, the Z1 was the first programmable computer to use binary-based Boolean logic. The Z1 executed instructions punched into celluloid film. See Boolean logic.

Originally V1
Meaning "Experimental Model 1" in German (VersuchsModell 1), Zuse renamed the V1 to Z1 after World War II ended to differentiate it from Germany's V-1 rockets.




A Z1 Replica
Although the original Z1 was destroyed in World War II, this recreated model resides in the German Museum of Technology in Berlin. (Image courtesy of Mike Peel, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license.)