ENIAC, an early electronic computer, gets a makeover
We explore the evolution of early computers, the vital role women played in early programming, and the inextricable connection between computing and war.
I'm Katie Hafner, and this is Lost Women of Science, where we unearth the stories of scientists who haven't gotten the recognition they deserve.
KATIE HAFNER: The women of the ENIAC got to know the machine so well that one said she could track a problem down almost to the individual vacuum tube.
KATIE HAFNER: In her memoir, Klári has an entire chapter called "The Computer," where she lays out Johnny's dream.
KATIE HAFNER: Ananyo Bhattacharya is the science writer who recently came out with a biography of John von Neumann called The Man from the Future.
KATIE HAFNER: Klári, like many of the human computers turned computer coders, had been doing calculations during the war.
I'm Katie Hafner, and this is Lost Women of Science.
KATIE HAFNER: Janet points out that the story of women in computing is bigger than Klára von Neumann.
KATIE HAFNER: At Lost Women of Science, we think about this a lot.
KATIE HAFNER: It was this early period of undervaluation that made the field of coding available to Klári and other women.