UNIVAC I | 1951
The UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer I) was the first general-purpose electronic digital computer produced in the United States, primarily designed for business applications. It was mainly designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, the inventors of ENIAC. The design work began at their company, Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation (EMCC), and was later completed after EMCC was acquired by Remington Rand. Remington Rand eventually became part of Sperry, which is now Unisys. Before the introduction of the UNIVAC I's successor models, the machine was simply known as "UNIVAC."
The first UNIVAC was accepted by the U.S. Census Bureau on March 31, 1951, and was dedicated on June 14 of the same year. The fifth machine was provided to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and was used by CBS to predict the results of the 1952 presidential election. In a famous instance, it accurately forecasted Dwight D. Eisenhower's overwhelming victory over Adlai Stevenson with just a 5.5% voter sample.
UNIVAC I was the first American computer designed from the ground up for business and administrative purposes, capable of quickly performing relatively simple arithmetic and data transfer tasks, unlike scientific computers that required complex numerical calculations. As a result, UNIVAC competed directly with punch card machines, but the early UNIVAC could neither read nor punch cards, which hindered sales due to the high cost of manually converting existing data stored on cards. To address this, UNIVAC introduced the UNIVAC Tape to Card converter, allowing data transfer between card and magnetic tape. However, the initial market share of UNIVAC was lower than Remington Rand had hoped.
To boost sales, the company partnered with CBS to use UNIVAC I to predict the results of the 1952 U.S. presidential election in real-time. The machine predicted that Eisenhower would overwhelmingly defeat Stevenson by a 100 to 1 ratio, claiming he would receive 32,915,949 votes and win the electoral vote 438 to 93. This prediction contradicted the final Gallup poll, which suggested a closer race. The CBS team was skeptical of UNIVAC's prediction and altered a specific "national trend factor" from 40% to 4%, producing a more plausible result of 268 to 263. However, they soon realized that the original 40% assumption was much closer to reality.
On election night, Eisenhower received 34,075,029 votes and won the electoral vote 442 to 89. UNIVAC's prediction for Eisenhower's voter count had a margin of error of only 3.5%, and the electoral vote total was off by just four votes. This prediction, along with its use in CBS's election coverage, raised public awareness of computer technology, making computerized predictions a standard part of election night broadcasts.
Initial contracts were made with government agencies such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Army Map Service. The ACNielsen Company and Prudential Insurance Company also secured contracts. After Remington Rand acquired Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation in 1950, the company persuaded Nielsen and Prudential to cancel their contracts due to project cost overruns.
The first sale was made to the Census Bureau, officially commemorated on March 31, 1951, at the Eckert-Mauchly Division factory located at 3747 Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia. However, the machine was not actually delivered until December of the following year. This was the only fully installed model needed for demonstration purposes, and the company was concerned about the difficulties of disassembling and transporting such a delicate machine. Consequently, the first installation took place in June 1952 with the second computer delivered to the Pentagon.
UNIVAC I was initially sold for $159,000, but prices rose to between $1,250,000 and $1,500,000. A total of 46 systems were manufactured and delivered.
Most universities found UNIVAC I too expensive, and Sperry Rand lacked the financial resources to offer many machines for free compared to companies like IBM. However, Sperry Rand donated UNIVAC I systems to Harvard University (1956), the University of Pennsylvania (1957), and Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, Ohio (1957). The UNIVAC I at Case University operated until 1965 when it was replaced by the UNIVAC 1107.
Some UNIVAC I systems continued to be used long after becoming outdated due to technological advancements. The Census Bureau operated two systems for 12 and 9 years, respectively, until 1963. Sperry Rand used two systems in Buffalo, New York, until 1968, and Life and Casualty Insurance Company in Tennessee operated its system for over 13 years until 1970.
