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You are here: Home / Language / Why is a Computer Problem Called a “Bug” and Where Did the Term Originate?

Why is a Computer Problem Called a “Bug” and Where Did the Term Originate?

June 3, 2020 by Karen Hill

Grace Hopper led the team that developed the first large-scale computer for the American Navy in 1945.

After troubleshooting an unexplained problem for days, they finally found the cause to be a two-inch bug, a moth, that had gotten stuck in the relay system.

And that’s how the term bug was coined.

From then on, all unexplained computer problems were called bugs.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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