A summary of the article 'computer' in wikipedia:
A computer is a machine. It receives data that it can then manipulate and output them in meaninful for humans ways. A machine does not itself understand the meaning (semanstic value) of data it stores and manipulates.
The first electronic computers were made in mid 20nth century in USA.
Computers now exist in most devices like watches, games etc. The first computer was an entire room, now it has evolved into a small portable device, the 'personal computer' , AKA PC.
A computer is not necessarily an electronic device. It can be any instrument that re-interprets inserted information. Thus computers have existed since ancient times in various formats and from these first utensils numbers where abstracted ( and the discipline of mathematics was created out of trying to measure the physical world, that is, with basic computers on wooden and bone sticks that recorded data for re-interpretation and communication of these data as accurately as possible. But once numbers where abstracted from physical devices, it was much easier to manipulate them although the date produced from these calculations were not always interpreted in the physical world, to make Architecture for example).
Personal computers (computer for one person) began in the 1970's and by 1975 they were much smaller because of the invention of the microprocessor hence they were also reduced in price and were more affordable (the first personal computers were extremely expensive to purchase).
Until the end of 80s there was a race for smaller and more easy to use PERSONAL computing and in the 90's the pc market took off and computers became 'mainstream' and not something a few people owned and understood.
Today PCs are embedded even in other personal devices, like music personal devices, watches, mobile phones, etc.
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