The Ancient Greeks Built An Accurate, Eclipse-Predicting Computer More Than 2000 Years Ago!

THE ANCIENT GREEKS' ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM
Called the Antikythera mechanism, it was discovered in 1900 when a group of sponge divers took shelter from a storm on the island of Antikythera. The divers unearthed a shipwreck approximately 2,000 years old, where an archeological expedition later uncovered the primitive computer.

The mechanism consisted of a device the size of a shoebox and covered with dials, filled with about 30 gears made of bronze. Though it was discovered in pieces, researchers eventually realised it was a computational mechanism that let the Greeks pinpoint eclipses and other astronomical phenomenon.
Instructions on the box showed that the crank could be turned to calculate the positions of the stars during future solar and lunar eclipses, allowing the user to predict at what time they would occur. Additionally, it was a sophisticated enough machine to even figure out the kind of eclipse that would occur (ie whether partial or total) to a precise degree.
It’s still unclear what the significance of eclipses were in Greek culture, though it’s believed they were omens of some sort