The BINAC: A Case Study in the History of Technology

The BINAC, short for Binary Automatic Computer, was developed by John Presper Eckert, Jr. and John William Mauchly during the years 1947-1949 under a contract with the Northrop Aircraft Corporation. It became the first operational stored program computer completed in the United States. This paper provides an historical analysis of the BINAC and the issues relating to its development. It also considers factors relating to the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation and its ultimate acquisition by Remington Rand.