Impacts and Public Reactions

The invention and creation of the ENIAC paved the way for modern computer technology. The ENIAC was a groundbreaking invention because simply put, nobody had ever seen anything like it before. The ENIAC was the first domino to fall in a line of hundreds if not thousands of the later inventions we see today. As it comes to the ENIAC's public relations, articles from the time hail the invention as a "never seen before masterpiece." The ENIAC also faced its fair amount of public relation mishaps, such as a lawsuit over the patent.

Articles on the ENIAC

A Wall Street Times article describing the struggle over the patent of the ENIAC. Published in 1967.
A New York Times article detailing a demonstration of the ENIAC where it solved complex multiplication problems in the blink of an eye. Published in 1946.
An article by the Chicago Daily Tribune. An article describing the first public demonstration of the ENIAC. It describes the ENIAC as "an electronic big brother of the abacus".
A 1947 article by the New York Times. Describes some of the problems the ENIAC would face while functioning, from simple mechanical errors to actual programming errors. The article goes on to mention the beginnings of the EDVAC by name.
An opinion piece from the Manchester Guardian, describing the opinions of a Professor Hartree on his viewing of the ENIAC's demonstration. Published in 1947.

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