First general-purpose electronic digital computer

The first general-purpose computer (one that could be set-up to tackle any computational problem) was ENIAC, a computer built at the University of Pennsylvania that carried out its first calculations on 10 Dec 1945. The computer consisted of large number of modules, each designed to perform specific mathematical operations or control tasks, and was set up by technicians who rewired the connections between these modules to create a "path" for the data, complete with points where the process could branch or loop. Once set up, the computer would run through the sequence (or program) laid out by the operators automatically, with no human assistance. Previous computers either could only handle a limited range of tasks, or required continuous human assistance to complete operations (things like changing tapes, or manually transferring information from one part of the operation to another).