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TechnologySurprise 4/5Difficulty 2/5Reviewed on September 17, 2026

The first documented computer bug was a real moth found in a relay.

Why it is true

In nineteen forty-seven, Grace Hopper's team found a moth trapped in a relay of the Harvard Mark II computer. The insect was taped to the logbook with the note being the first actual case of a bug being found, popularizing the term.

Source: Computer History Museum

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