The Beginnings of a New Age: Computers in the 1950s
by Shannon C.
The creation and progress of the computer in America came to a comparative standstill in the 1950s—where it was received with doubt by the general public and was only sold to a limited few businesses and government agencies. Right up to the beginning of this decade, however, the development of computer technology was highly progressive in relationship with military demands. The emergence of ENIAC in 1943 as the first general use computer created new opportunities for warfare strategizing in the U.S. involvement in World War II. ENIAC was funded by a partnership between the government and the University of Pennsylvania and although it was an enormous energy-consuming machine that covered 1000 square feet, it helped to create a space for computers in 1950s America.
Another important invention that led to the creation of the first commercially available computer in 1951 actually occurred five years prior to our decade of study. In 1945 a Hungarian-American, John von Neumann, generated a milestone in computer advancement with his creation of the EDVAC and its ground-breaking element, the CPU (central processing unit). The CPU is a central feature of computers even today that allows all of the computers functions and related equipment to be coordinated through a single source. The creation of the CPU spurned the production of the first computer to be commercially available and sold in the U.S., the UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer).
In 1951, the UNIVAC was not only the first commercially sold computer, it was also the first computer in the U.S. designed for business use. UNIVAC was built by Remington Rand; their first customers were the U.S. Census Bureau and General Electric; the price tag was $750,000 for the computer itself and $185,000 for a high speed printer. Public reception and acknowledgment of the UNIVAC culminated with the 1952 Presidential Election. The UNIVAC appeared on the CBS evening news with Walter Cronkite who used the computer to predict the results of the election. UNIVAC hypothesized that Eisenhower would win the election by 1%. Casting doubt on the computer, since its prediction contradicted popular lore in favor of his opponent, CBS withheld the prediction until later when Cronkite announced that UNIVAC had indeed been right.
The public doubt with which UNIVAC was received did not halt its commercial success. Aside from the U.S. Census Bureau, the first customers of Remington Rand were Prudential Insurance Company, followed by the Appliance Division of General Electric in 1954, who created the first industrial payroll application. UNIVAC inspired more business computer use in 1956 when in its East Pittsburgh Plant, Westinghouse Electric Company used the computer to calculate payroll and sales records, and even analyze sales performance of its own company and competitors. By the end of the decade 46 UNIVAC’s had been sold and delivered to businesses, government agencies, universities, and laboratories across the country. The computer that was initially doubted in its ability to make an accurate prediction in the presidential election had become a major calculating tool in the country’s economy. Acceptance of the computer’s role in the workings of government and business in the 1950s paved the way for further development and commercial sale of computers in decades to come—making the 1950s a decade in which the success of a creation hinged on public acceptance or rejection.
http://world-information.org/wio/infostructure/100437611663/100438659338
http://www.richmond.edu/~pli/teaching/psy333/ai_genprob.html
http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~museum/guys.html
http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~csclub/museum/items/univac.html
The creation and progress of the computer in America came to a comparative standstill in the 1950s—where it was received with doubt by the general public and was only sold to a limited few businesses and government agencies. Right up to the beginning of this decade, however, the development of computer technology was highly progressive in relationship with military demands. The emergence of ENIAC in 1943 as the first general use computer created new opportunities for warfare strategizing in the U.S. involvement in World War II. ENIAC was funded by a partnership between the government and the University of Pennsylvania and although it was an enormous energy-consuming machine that covered 1000 square feet, it helped to create a space for computers in 1950s America.
Another important invention that led to the creation of the first commercially available computer in 1951 actually occurred five years prior to our decade of study. In 1945 a Hungarian-American, John von Neumann, generated a milestone in computer advancement with his creation of the EDVAC and its ground-breaking element, the CPU (central processing unit). The CPU is a central feature of computers even today that allows all of the computers functions and related equipment to be coordinated through a single source. The creation of the CPU spurned the production of the first computer to be commercially available and sold in the U.S., the UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer).
In 1951, the UNIVAC was not only the first commercially sold computer, it was also the first computer in the U.S. designed for business use. UNIVAC was built by Remington Rand; their first customers were the U.S. Census Bureau and General Electric; the price tag was $750,000 for the computer itself and $185,000 for a high speed printer. Public reception and acknowledgment of the UNIVAC culminated with the 1952 Presidential Election. The UNIVAC appeared on the CBS evening news with Walter Cronkite who used the computer to predict the results of the election. UNIVAC hypothesized that Eisenhower would win the election by 1%. Casting doubt on the computer, since its prediction contradicted popular lore in favor of his opponent, CBS withheld the prediction until later when Cronkite announced that UNIVAC had indeed been right.
The public doubt with which UNIVAC was received did not halt its commercial success. Aside from the U.S. Census Bureau, the first customers of Remington Rand were Prudential Insurance Company, followed by the Appliance Division of General Electric in 1954, who created the first industrial payroll application. UNIVAC inspired more business computer use in 1956 when in its East Pittsburgh Plant, Westinghouse Electric Company used the computer to calculate payroll and sales records, and even analyze sales performance of its own company and competitors. By the end of the decade 46 UNIVAC’s had been sold and delivered to businesses, government agencies, universities, and laboratories across the country. The computer that was initially doubted in its ability to make an accurate prediction in the presidential election had become a major calculating tool in the country’s economy. Acceptance of the computer’s role in the workings of government and business in the 1950s paved the way for further development and commercial sale of computers in decades to come—making the 1950s a decade in which the success of a creation hinged on public acceptance or rejection.
http://world-information.org/wio/infostructure/100437611663/100438659338
http://www.richmond.edu/~pli/teaching/psy333/ai_genprob.html
http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~museum/guys.html
http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~csclub/museum/items/univac.html
posted by Leslie Madsen-Brooks at 12/05/2006 09:02:00 PM
1 Comments:
It is funny that in the last six decades our society has gone from computers the size of small home to the tiny handheld computers on our telephones. My grandfather once told me that the technology race will eventually slow down and people will once again use their minds to come up with results. I think it is safe to say he was incorrect. I honestly don't understand why anyone would pay close to a million dollars for a calculator that can print.
Matt B.
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