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Women's History Month: ENIAC, first computer programmers
March 18, 2013
By Egon Hatfield, RDECOM History Office
Story Highlights
- The Army's first operational computer weighed 30 tons and consumed 160 kilowatts per hour of electrical power
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ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. -- Anyone interested in the history of computing knows of the U.S. Army's ground-breaking Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. ENIAC was the world's first operational, general purpose, electronic digital computer.
The computer consisted of 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 1,500 relays, 6,000 manual switches and 5 million soldered joints. Eight feet high, it covered 1800 square feet (167 square meters) of floor space, weighed 30 tons and consumed 160 kilowatts per hour of electrical power.
Initially utilized to support the Manhattan Project near the end of World War II, it was demonstrated to the public on Feb. 15, 1946 and evolved during the next few years to become the first operating, stored-program computer.
ENIAC was operated first at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In late 1946 to early 1947, it was dismantled and moved to the Ballistics Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, becoming operational there on July 29, 1947.
The world of early computer design and construction was a male-dominated work domain; however, manpower demands of WWII enabled women with mathematical degrees or an ability in different types of mathematics to operate the equipment, receiving the title of "computers."
Women were soon regarded as capable of "computing" more quickly and more accurately than men.
Once the ENIAC was ready to perform as a stored-program computer, the need arose for another type of computer specialist, the programmer. Six women, from a pool of nearly 100 women employed by the BRL, were hired in June 1945 as the first programmers.
They are listed here, using their maiden names as they were all unmarried at the time, their universities and majors:
Kathleen McNulty, Chestnut Hill College for Women, Philadelphia (Mathematics)
Frances Bilas, Chestnut Hill College for Women, Philadelphia (Mathematics)
Elizabeth Jean Jennings, Northwest Missouri State Teachers' College (Mathematics)
Frances Elizabeth Snyder, University of Pennsylvania (English & Journalism)
Ruth Lichterman, Hunter College (Mathematics)
Marlyn Wescoff, Temple University (Social Studies & English)
Two of the women were told that "girls really didn't study mathematics in college." Once hired at a sub-professional level, they were told that only men could get professional ratings. Finally, in November 1946, many of the women then employed received professional ratings.
The programmers initially studied logical block diagrams of the ENIAC and asked questions of the design engineers. Understanding what ENIAC could do or not do, the women began to be qualified in troubleshooting problems, even down to replacing one of the 17,468 vacuum tubes.
A trajectory program was the first to be completed and was run as part of the public demonstration.
The first six programmers of the ENIAC exemplify what Women's History Month tries to showcase. All six were intelligent. They didn't want to teach, which was expected of college-educated women at the time. They were resourceful, working without user manuals, re-configuring ENIAC as the programs changed. As true pioneers, they helped launch the age of computing.Welcome to Goa, a small state in India which displays every bit of charm left by the Portuguese during the 500 year rule. However, Goa is better acknowledged and discerned for its vast stretches of attractive sand beaches, clear clean waters, verdant green chains of mountains and its idyllic lifestyle which covers any newcomer into its fold. Goa is adhered by the state of Maharashtra towards North direction, Karnataka towards East and South and the Arabian Sea on the Western front. Though Vasco-da Gama is the biggest city in Goa, Panaji is the capital city which sees an inflow of millions of tourists from across the globe.
The long stretching of silver sand which are the coronating glory of Goa have been artfully employed by the Goans to lure holidaymakers for enjoyment and sport. The beaches are well preserved and regularly stripped for an attractive show. In fact, some of the beaches in Goa are so clean and free of vendors that it is hard to believe that they exist at a place which is conceived as one of the best hot spots of the world for pleasure seekers.
Shantadurga Temple
Shore Bar
Ponda
Chapora Fort
Rock Your BluesAbout Susanne...
ATTENTION: I'm not at home from May 2nd until 17th and won't be able to register your postcards.
-----
Hey you,
thanks for visiting my profile. :-)
I'm Susanne from Oldenburg in Lower Saxony, Germany. I'm 32 years old and some say I look like 39. Ha ha... well... such is life.
I've been enjoying my life for quite a while, I love my hometown Oldenburg, my job, my travels and most of the time I'm a happy person.
I like traveling and discovering countries and cities I've never been to. My favourite city - at least in Europe - is Budapest. I just love that place!
Please send me any postcard which YOU like because I don't care so much about the front side - I'm curious about the reverse side.
Please do not send me advertisement and self-made postcards. Write something about yourself if you don't know what to write; maybe where you are while writing the postcard or what you're up to today or tomorrow.
Please add the date and maybe the weather, too.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
Best regards and enjoy life - it can end any minute.I went to an appointment at the ENT clinic today at Rotherham hospital after experiencing symptoms such as a blocked nose, headaches, tiredness etc. for 18 months that have been making my life miserable. I was pleased when they said they would be using a camera to look into my nose and throat as I thought this could finally lead to these issues getting resolved.
After this happened, I remember feeling confused about why the doctor only put the camera into the front of my left nostril and this was not explained to me. Once I was called back in to discuss what they found, I was told everything was normal and that my symptoms were due to my “anxiety” and was directly told there’s nothing we can do for you.
I was also told that I should go back to my GP which also confused me because my GP had already prescribed me everything they could to help with these symptoms and none of it helped, so how will they be able to help me now? I left feeling completely defeated and like I was crazy because the physical symptoms I’m experiencing were chalked up to my anxiety like they always are.
I now feel completely out of hope and like I will have to be miserable for the rest of my life if even the experienced medical staff couldn’t help me. So I will be going back to my GP and asking to be referred to another hospital for a second opinion.
Extremely disappointed with the service I received.
Have you experienced something like Anonymous1234567 did, here or elsewhere?A CIVILIAN from the Ministry of Defence embraced Islam with his wife yesterday.
The conversion ceremony was held at Pengkalan Dong, Ukong in the Tutong district.
Muzni chose Muhammad Muzni Abdullah as his new name.
Present to witness the ceremony was the Deputy Minister of Defence First Admiral (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Abdul Aziz Hj Abd Tamit.
Also present were the permanent secretary at the ministry of defence, and the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs.The Agency for Employment and Local Development of Benidorm has organized a new edition of the program 'Actívate para el empleo', a free training activity of 'coaching' and guidance aimed at unemployed people over 30 years, and which combines group workshops and personalized tutorials. The Councilor for Employment and Local Development, Mª Jesús Pinto, and the economist and counselor Vigela Lloret explained that the objective of this program is "to improve the employability of the participants", strengthen "their abilities" and assimilate "the tools" necessary to face their insertion in the labor market with greater guarantees.
Pinto recalled that in 2018 two calls for this program "with the same format" were made, which resulted in "very high percentages of labor insertion". Hence, the Agency for Employment and Local Development, has chosen to launch three editions of this program throughout 2019, which is 100% financed by Obra Social La Caixa.
For its part, the person responsible for this activity explained that "after the threshold of 35 years we have all accumulated experience, we bring value and we have to know how to tell" to companies or administrations that have jobs.
"At these levels, he added, what is most often missing is motivation" and ignorance of "the technique to reach these companies." Hence, in "the three group formations" we work "the activation of emotional competences" and the tools to transfer the skills, value and talent of each one to the employers.
Lloret has indicated that these group formations are complemented "with personalized tutoring" to "help each person" in the areas that need to be reinforced.
The workshops will be held at Jelena