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Born
Konrad Zuse was born in Wilmersdorf, Berlin on June 22, 1910. His parents were named Emil Wilhelm Albert Zuse and Maria Cohn Zuse with an older sister named Leisolette. -
College
Konrad Zuse then went to the Berlin Institute of Technology focusing on civil engineering. -
Post Degree
After Konrad Zuse graduated from college, he became interested in creating one of the first computers called Z1, as well as getting himself involved with construction architect. After doing some work within these multiple fields, he realized he was more interested in the engineering field. -
First job
Zuse started working as a stress analyst for Henschel Flugzeugwerke, but ending up witting in hopes of starting his own company which focused on automatic calculations for machines. -
Z1
Zuse created the XZ1 in 1938 which included a three-by-three matrix and was solid up to design. This machine is not similar to the computers we have at home, but certainly stood out back then for it's modernism and usability. -
Z2
The first ever electronic computer was created by Zuse in 1940. -
V1
After Konrad left his original job to start his own company, he created the first computer otherwise know as the V1. He did so by having friends and family invest within his company. -
Destroying of Z1 and Z3
Due to the war, Konrad Zuse's inventions including the Z1 and Z3 were destroyed. -
Neukirchen
Zuse went onto create the company Neukrichen with 5 other people within Germany, -
Z4
Although the Z1 and Z3 did not survive the war, the Z4 was successful in it's survival and was able to be replaced efficiently. The Z4 was the first digital computer of it's time and therefore a huge part of history. It included a 32-bit instead of the typical 22-bit floating point words. -
Z5
Konrad Zuse was starting to gain popularity with his engineering abilities and therefore was ordered by Leitz GBHM in Wetzlar AG to create the first commercial built computer within Germany. This was an even more advanced version of the Z4. -
Expansion of Company
In order to get the word out about computers within Germany, Konrad began donating his inventions to college across the country. Specifically the Z11 computer was used for students while the Z22 was a cheaper option for schools. -
Financial Issues
As other companies started to create their own lines of computers, therefore creating competition for Zuse, he started losing business and faced some financial trouble. The competition lead to an increased price tag on computer materials and software. -
Calculating Space
Zuse donated one of his models to the Deutsches Museum in Munich to show his calculating machine to millions who come and visit to honor his work. -
Death
Zuse died from a heart attack midway through one of his projects.