computer

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Happy birthday, ENIAC

There are two epochs in computer history: Before ENIAC and After ENIAC. The first practical, all-electronic computer was unveiled on Feb. 14, 1946, at the U. of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electronics. ––Alexander Randall 5th

ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was a programmable, electronic, general-purpose digital computer. It was the first to have all of these features in a generally useable machine.

The photo shows four mathematicians/programmers for ENIAC, from L to R, Patsy Simmers (ENIAC), Gail Taylor (EDVAC), Milly Beck (ORDVAC), and Norma Stec (BRLESC-I). The original “computers,” also women, were soon to be replaced by an electronic computer.

The women in the photo above are holding circuit boards from the first four Army electronic computers, illustrating the rapid evolution and miniaturization of computing technology. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

ENIAC’s 80th birthday is significant to me because it comes during a year when most of my classmates are also turning 80. We’ve shaped and been shaped by the digital world that ENIAC helped to spawn.

It’s appalling to see how that digital world is being used to oppress ordinary people. Regimes from Teheran to Washington, DC are using the technologies of ENIAC’s spawn to spy upon, categorize, track down, deport, and otherwise persecute people who are simply asserting their rights, or often just quietly trying to live their lives.

References

“ENIAC,” Wikipedia, February 6, 2026.

Scott McCartney, ENIAC: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World’s First Computer, Berkley, 2001).

Alexander Randall 5th, “Q&A: A Lost Interview with ENIAC Co-Inventor J. Presper Eckert,” Computer World, February 14, 2006.

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Quill teacher’s guide

Quill is a set of microcomputer programs that use the computer’s capabilities to help teachers teach writing. Students from third grade through high school have been successful with Quill, including gifted and talented, special education, and English as a second language students.

The Quill programs are tools for teachers and students. Teachers can use Quill to provide challenging, meaningful writing activities for students. Students can use the programs to practice various types of writing and produce finished products they can share with classmates and teachers. These are motivating, adaptable writing activities that supplement and enrich existing language arts curricula, and can be integrated into all content areas.