The First Computer “Bug” Was Literally a Moth
In 1947, engineers at Harvard discovered a moth trapped in a relay of the Mark II computer, causing a malfunction. They taped the insect into the logbook with the note “First actual case of bug being found.” The term “debugging” later became standard in programming.
💡 Fun detail:
The preserved moth remains on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Source: Computer History Museum