Project Whirlwind begins. During World
War II, the U.S. Navy approached the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) about building a flight simulator to train bomber
crews. The team first built a large analog computer, but found it
inaccurate and inflexible. After designers saw a demonstration of the
ENIAC computer, they decided on building a digital computer. By the time
the Whirlwind was completed in 1951, the Navy had lost interest in the
project, though the U.S. Air Force would eventually support the project
which would influence the design of the SAGE program.
The
Relay Interpolator is completed. The U.S. Army asked Bell Labs to
design a machine to assist in testing its M-9 Gun Director. Bell Labs
mathematician George Stibitz recommended using a relay-based calculator
for the project. The result was the Relay Interpolator, later called the
Bell Labs Model II. The Relay Interpolator used 440 relays and since it
was programmable by paper tape, it was used for other applications
following the war.
Source: - www.computerhistory.org
The
Relay Interpolator is completed. The U.S. Army asked Bell Labs to
design a machine to assist in testing its M-9 Gun Director. Bell Labs
mathematician George Stibitz recommended using a relay-based calculator
for the project. The result was the Relay Interpolator, later called the
Bell Labs Model II. The Relay Interpolator used 440 relays and since it
was programmable by paper tape, it was used for other applications
following the war.
