History Teaches - June 14

[azmouse]

June 14, 1951: "Univac I" was unveiled.

"To err is human, to really foul things up requires a computer."
~Bill Vaughan

UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) was put in use for the U.S. Census Bureau, and was billed as the world's first commercial computer.
The machine was 25 feet by 50 feet in length, contained 5,600 tubes, 18,000 crystal diodes, and 300 relays. It's main memory consisted of 1000 words of 12 characters.
In 1952, on nationwide broadcast television, the UNIVAC I successfully predicted the winner of the presidential election would be Dwight Eisenhower resulting in public awareness of the benefits of computers.

[jaxx]

Isn't it amazing how far we have come? What once filled a room is now sitting on a desk (or a lap) in a majority of homes and just about all businesses.


Today is also Flag Day.

<..> Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day - the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

http://www.usflag.org/flag.day.html (interesting story on this and it's beginnings.)

[nofurylike]

what a trip, looking back in your "History Teaches" 'wayback machine,' azmouse!
thank you so much! fascinating! delightful!