Record #00453Technology archive
Ferranti Mark I was delivered to the University of Manchester in February 1951. The Computer History Museum regards it as probably the first commercially available general-purpose computer, while noting that definitions of a commercial first vary.
Achievement date
1951
1951-02
Ferranti Mark I was developed from the University of Manchester's stored-program computer research into a commercial product.
UNIVAC I also entered commercial use in 1951. Definitions of first commercial computer differ, so this record is restricted to commercially sold general-purpose electronic computers.
The Computer History Museum describes the attribution as probable rather than universal; the near-contemporaneous UNIVAC I underlines the importance of defining commercial availability and general-purpose operation.
Credible sources support core facts; the comparison scope or corroboration remains incomplete.
Basis: direct confirmation by an authority
The Computer History Museum's Ferranti collection supports early February 1951 delivery; its historical timeline describes the first-commercial attribution as probable. The record remains developing rather than an uncontested universal first.
The Computer History Museum applies this scope to commercially sold general-purpose electronic computers, but contemporaneous systems such as UNIVAC I support other commercial-first definitions.
Current Entry identifies the current entry in this archive; it does not establish that the record is still held today.
The record value on this page is organized from the public sources above. Measurement methods may differ; JiLuDB follows the unified method described for each entry.
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