[game_preservation] Update on dating of Babbage's tic-tac-toe machine

[Devin Monnens]

Hi folks,

I've been working on some research to this topic again and discovered some
new bits of information. Letters from Ada Lovelace to Charles Babbage date
conversations on games and the Tic-Tac-Toe machine to September-October
1848, including a statement where she urges him to complete the device so it
will make money. So there you have it: first 'computer game' from 1848 :P

I am still working with Andrew to try and track down whether the sketches
for the device survive, but if they do, they should date from this period.

I also discovered several other mechanical devices from the 1840s that
Babbage mentions in his book, including The Eureka, a machine that can
assemble Latin verses (1845) and Professor Faber's Euphonia (1846) which
uses a system of keys and valves to produce human speech (there are some
rather hilarious anecdotes on this). Babbage ceased development on his
tic-tac-toe machine after he discovered none of these had been financial
successes.

-Devin

-- 
Devin Monnens
www.deserthat.com

The sleep of Reason produces monsters.
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