On This Day

UNIVAC I, the first commercial computer, enters service at the Census Bureau

UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) was a line of electronic digital stored-program computers starting with the products of the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation.

UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) was a line of electronic digital stored-program computers starting with the products of the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation. After capturing the public imagination with the use of the UNIVAC I during the 1952 US Presidential election it was decided to extend the branding to all machines made by the other computing divisions of the Remington Rand company (Engineering Research Associates and the Norwalk Laboratory of Remington Rand).

Subsequently after the merger of Remington Rand with the Sperry Corporation (under name of Sperry Rand) in 1955, it was decided to merge all three divisions along with Remington Rand's tabulator division into one unified organization under the name of the Univac division.

Historical Significance

UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) was a line of electronic digital stored-program computers starting with the products of the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation.

Events Before

  1. Emil Jannings dies

    Emil Jannings, Swiss-born German actor, known for german actor, died on 1950-01-02. Emil Jannings was a Swiss-born German actor who was popular in Hollywood films in the 1920s.

  2. The Dutch government raises all wages by a maximum of 5%

    The Dutch government raises all wages by a maximum of 5%

  3. Israeli Knesset declares Jerusalem the capital of Israel

    The Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem, known to Israelis as the reunification of Jerusalem, refers to the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War, and its…

  4. US President Harry Truman publicly announces support for the development of a hydrogen bomb

    Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953.

  5. British naturalist and future broadcaster David Attenborough (24) weds British classmate and cook Jane Elizabeth Ebswort

    British naturalist and future broadcaster David Attenborough (24) weds British classmate and cook Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel, until her death in 1997

Events After

  1. Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 5th string quartet and premieres it in Leningrad in 1953

    The 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 by Dmitri Shostakovich are a set of 24 musical pieces for solo piano, one in each of the major and minor keys of the chromatic scale.

  2. "Today Show" premieres with Dave Garroway & Jack Lescoulie on NBC-TV

    Today (also called The Today Show) is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952.

  3. Jawaharlal Nehru's Indian National Congress wins India's first general election

    The Indian National Congress (INC), also known as the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a big tent political party in India.

  4. First TV detector van begins operating in the UK to identify users of unlicensed television sets

    First TV detector van begins operating in the UK to identify users of unlicensed television sets

  5. Queen Elizabeth II succeeds King George VI to the British throne and is proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom and the o

    Queen Elizabeth II succeeds King George VI to the British throne and is proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand

More from the 1950s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 14, 1951?
UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) was a line of electronic digital stored-program computers starting with the products of the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation. After capturing the public imagination with the use of the UNIVAC I during the 1952 US Presidential election it was decided to extend the branding to all machines made by the other computing divisions of the Remington Rand company (Engineering Research Associates and the Norwalk Laboratory of Remington Rand). Subsequently after the merger of Remington Rand with the Sperry Corporation (under name of Sperry Rand) in 1955, it was decided to merge all three divisions along with Remington Rand's tabulator division into one unified organization under the name of the Univac division.
Why is UNIVAC I, the first commercial computer, enters service at the Census Bureau significant?
UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) was a line of electronic digital stored-program computers starting with the products of the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation.

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