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Originally Posted by Theory5
...Does anyone know something about the 19th century that I dont? Im not going to jump to the obvious we-have-time-travel thing. Thats is really absurd. I want this to be a serious discussion about the essay "Self-Reliance" and why he chose those words.
please comment.
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Yes; I do.
In the 1800's, people who did computations/calculations for a living, particularly in business accounting, were called "computers", just as we call people who farm, "farmers." Below is the only source that I have found yet that refers to this usage.
Origin of the word "computer"
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According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "computer" was first used to describe a mechanical calculating device in 1897. Although the word existed previously, it had been used to describe "a person who computes or performs calculations."
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