Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Documentary: Top Secret Rosies


Did you ever wonder where the term "computer' originated? Would it blow your mind away to learn that the first known use of the term "computer" in the 20th Century was directed to female mathematicians? Well, it blew me away!

There are so many, many heroes from World War II. So many that were not in the forefront of the war but were quietly doing their part in the war effort. Every little bit helped. Every sacrifice brought us closer to victory.

During the war, female mathematicians were recruited from all over the United States to work as computers for the U.S. Army. Their work was top secret and literally helped change the course of the war.


Many of these young women were just graduating from High School and with sheer luck were called to become a part of this secret program. They not only developed ballistics tables  but also  programmed the first electronic computer designed to improve Army efficiency.

Their biggest job during the war was to use mathematical calculations to figure out where a bomb  or bullet would land if it was directed at a certain target. They also calculated the distance, how it was going to get there, and where it would end up. When in battle the men wouldn't have the time to figure things out, as one can imagine it was an intense environment to be in. Figuring out those marks helped soldiers know where to aim and that was crucial during battle.


Because doing the calculations by hand took such a long time, although they were effective they were introduced to a Bush Differential Analyzer. At the time in 1942 it was considered state of the art technology and only five existed in the world.

There were six female computers that were chosen to run ballistics problems on that machine. Using that machine to calculate would take them 15 minutes to figure out a 60 second shell trajectory compared to the 40 hours it took to do so by hand.

Eventually many of these females computers went on to becoming the first computer programmers in the world! 


After the war, six of the original female computers were asked to learn how to work and program the ENIAC, which was constructed during the war and financed by the U.S. Army.

It began being constructed in 1943 and was completed in 1946. It was in service from 1947 to 1955 continuously. This machine was massive! Great credit goes to those early programmers who unfortunately did not get the credit they deserved by journalists, reporters, and magazines. The original photo above that was printed in a magazine about the ENIAC only include the two men above.


In 1997, the six women who did most of the programming of ENIAC were finally recognized and inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame. As they were called by each other in 1946, they were Kay McNultyBetty JenningsBetty SnyderMarlyn WescoffFran Bilas and Ruth LichtermanYou can view this Documentary on Netflix as it is on streaming now or view their website here.

All of the female computers and female programmers are heroes to me because they showed themselves and the world that a woman's role is multifaceted. They showed the world that we are beautiful in other ways other than physically. They showed the world that women can fight and be brave and contribute great things to humanity. That being a wife and mother is an incredible honor and gift but that we are capable of just about anything.

I dedicate this post to those great women. Thank you for paving the way.

xox

10 comments:

  1. I adore this! Thank you for sharing a great part of history. I did not know this and always enjoy hearing about people getting credited (finally) with the great work they did when they were taken for granted.

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    1. Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed this!! xox

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  2. Fabulous post Bunny. I had no idea about these women programs. Thanks for this great piece of history!

    http://dividingmoments.blogspot.com/

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    1. I loved learning about them-so glad I can share a bit of forgotten history with you!! xox

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  3. I completely adored this post, dear Bunny, and know that Tony will, too, so I'm going to show it to him first thing in the morning (he works in the IT field and has always had a lifelong love of computer programming).

    ♥ Jessica

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    1. Oh thats awesome mama! I hope he liked it too!! Yeah! xox

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  4. I think I watched this a while ago, we ladies are pretty smart.

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    1. I think we are a whole lot of awesome!! hehe xox

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  5. How absolutely amazing... I have been immersed in women's history lately, and this is certainly a feather in our cap. Smart and beautiful! I love the photos that shows them, ever stylish, and hard at work. What a great inspiration this would be to some of our young women today who are gifted at math. I think that sometimes we are given limited vision of what can be done with our talents. Thanks for a great post!

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    1. I know right? How cool were they to be sooo darn smart and be able to use it in such an magnificent way!!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! xox

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