The /story/ is a true one; the assertion (which no one here made, I
might point out) that this is the origin of the word "bug" is what's
apocryphal. But you don't really need to resort to tracking down
every early use to establish that: the story itself should be sufficient
proof that "bug" was a commonly used term when the moth was found;
otherwise the incident wouldn't have been funny.
-- Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com> <http://www.piclab.com/lcrocker.html>