The Second World War motivated researchers to investigate faster ways to perform calculation to solve practical problems. This led to research into the development of digital computers to determine if they could provide faster methods of computation. We discuss the first digital computers including the Atanasoff-Berry computer developed in the United States, the ENIAC and EDVAC developed in the United States, the Colossus computer developed in England, Zuse’s computers developed in Germany and the Manchester Mark I computer developed in England.