The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World's First Computer Scott McCartney Walker and Co., New York, 1999. Many people believe that the computer was the greatest invention of the twentieth century. Because it has made the information revolution possible, knowledge of its genesis is important. The book tells an engrossing story of achievement, betrayal, and cooperation, one that has its quota of both knavish and unselfish behavior.
Emphasis is more on personalities and credit assignment than on scientific and engineering problems.
John Mauchly was a tenacious, introspective physicist, twelve years older than Eckert. As early as 1939, he was planning to build an electronic calculating machine using vacuum tubes, and he was aware of the use of relays for digital calculations. It was soon put to use, however, on nuclear-weapons calculations. Its calculations led to an early prediction of Eisenhower's landslide win in the 1952 presidential election, forecasting 438 electoral votes, compared to his actual 442 votes. Unfortunately, the media didn't believe such a lopsided vote was likely and fudged the prediction.