Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation

The Eckert - Mauchly Computer Corporation (EMCC ) ( 1946-1950 ) was a computer manufacturer, which was founded by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly in 1946. In the early days the company also Electronic Controls Company was called. After Eckert Mauchly and had built the ENIAC, the University of Pennsylvania, they wanted the computer architecture commercially exploit for military and civilian computer.

History

After the ENIAC was built, it came to judicial disputes between Eckert, Mauchly and the University of Pennsylvania. The University claimed the patents which were applied during the construction of the ENIAC, Eckert and Mauchly through, and wanted the two force them to override the patents to the university. Eckert and Mauchly then left the university and founded the EMCC.

The first projects

EMCCs first project was the BINAC, a small version of ENIAC, which was built for the Northrop Corporation. The cost estimate of the EMCC for the construction of BINAC was one of the poorer work, and in the summer on the EMCC was in financial difficulties. Harry L. Straus, vice president of the American Totalisator Company, stepped in as an investor. 1949 Harry Straus died in a plane crash, and the American Totalisator Company withdrew its financial contribution from again. The BINAC 1949 shipped.

EMCC 1948 got the contract to build a computer for the U.S. Census Bureau, which should be ready for the 1950 census. Additional orders were received by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy. After EMCC was accused in the McCarthy era to have engineers set with communist convictions, they lost these jobs and also lost the security classification, to process orders for the U.S. military. Mauchly was forbidden to enter the premises. Only two years later, after he had been acquitted a hearing, he was allowed to enter the premises again. Mauchly worked during this time at home.

As 1951, the UNIVAC was the U.S. Census Bureau passed I, it heralded the era of commercial electronic data processors, and for some years the name UNIVAC was representative used for all computers. This was the first use of a computer produced for commercial purposes worldwide.

The UNIVAC became famous after the presidential election night 1952. With it, an extrapolation was created, based on 7 % of the counted votes. As a result, he said at 9 clock in the evening a landslide victory for Eisenhower ahead, contrary to conventionally determined forecasts of a head - to-head race. The client does not trust the UNIVAC and decided forecast, not to publish it. Later it turned out that she was quite accurate: The predicted distribution of 438 electors for Eisenhower and 93 for Stevenson came up close to the actual distribution of 442:89. This result made ​​the UNIVAC known worldwide.

Acquisition by Remington Rand

As with the BINAC the cost estimates for the construction of the UNIVAC were too optimistic, and EMCC was again in financial trouble. In early 1950 the company was advertised for sale. The Eckert - Mauchly Computer Corporation was acquired on February 15, 1950 by Remington Rand UNIVAC and incorporated as a business unit in the Remington Rand organization.