Artifact Details

Title

The ENIAC. Lecture by J. Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly

Catalog Number

102639639

Type

Moving image

Description

The First International Research Conference on the History of Computing was a milestone in the history of computing, drawing a global elite of computer pioneers from the first generation of electronic digital computing. Most talks are approximately 45 minutes in duration and feature a lecture with a brief question and answer period afterwards.

This lecture is part of a paper by the lead ENIAC electronics and systems designer Presper Eckert (who could not attend) as read by colleague John Mauchly. Eckert’s paper provides fascinating background on the technical and political aspects of the ENIAC project, from discussing control logic of the giant proposed machine with von Neumann to carefully adding the w “integrator” to the name to appeal to potential funders. One of ENIAC’s most impressive feats was to prove that a large-scale computing system could be built form relatively unreliable vacuum tubes – 18,000 of them in ENIAC’s case. Eckert discusses how this was achieved, with commentary by Mauchly on this point as well.

This lecture’s transcript was included in the edited volume from the conference, viz. Eckert, J.P., “The ENIAC,” in Metropolis, N., and Howlett, J., Rota, Gian-Carlo, A History of Computing in the Twentieth Century, New York: Academic Press, 1980, pp. 525 – 539.

Date

1976-06-10

Credits

Mauchly, John W.; Eckert, J. Presper (John Presper)

Participants

Eckert, J. Presper (John Presper)
Mauchly, John W., Speaker

Place of Publication

Los Alamos, NM, US

Identifying Numbers

Other number Reel 5 Original tape numbering

Duration

00:39:00

Dimensions

10 inches

Format

Betacam SP

Category

Lecture

Series Title

International Research Conference on the History of Computing

Lot Number

X5953.2011