ABSTRACT
In the 1940s, the electronic digital computer was a new, largely unproven machine developed in response to specific needs like the code-breaking requirements of Bletchley Park or the ballistics calculations required by the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Once these early computers proved their worth, projects like the Manchester Mark 1 and the EDVAC implemented a stored-program capability allowing digital computers to become useful for a variety of scientific and business tasks. In the early 1950s, several for-profit corporations built on this work by offering mass-produced computers to businesses, universities, and government organizations around the world.
