ENIAC: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World's First Computer

The true father of the modern computer was not John von Neumann, as he is generally credited. That honor belongs to the two men, John Mauchly and Presper Eckert, who built the world's first programmable computer: the legendary ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer).Their three-year race to create the ENIAC is a compelling tale of brilliance and misfortune that has never been told before.

Mauchly and Eckert developed a revolutionary vision: to make electricity "think." Funded by...