The History of the Mark-1 Computer In 1936, Howard Aiken, a professor at Harvard University, took the initiative to create an automatic calculator by combining electrical and mechanical methods with the punchcard technology of Hallerith. With the help of IBM Company, he built the world's first electric computer in 1944 at Harvard University in the United States. It was a real look at Charles Babbage's analytical engine. IBM ASCC (Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator) is called Mark 1 computer. The main advantage of Mark 1 was that the machine was fully automatic. Once launched, it does not require any human help to work. Its function was much more advanced than that of the earlier computers. The success of Mark 1 is considered to be the beginning of modern computer.