The American company UNIVAC began as the "business" computer division of Remington Rand formed by the purchase of the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation (EMCC) in 1950. (EMCC was the company founded by, and named after, the two inventors/architects of the ENIAC.) Remington Rand was an early American computer manufacturer, best known as the original maker of the UNIVAC, and now part of Unisys. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... ENIAC ENIAC, short for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer, was the first all-electronic computer designed to be Turing-complete, capable of being reprogrammed by rewiring to solve a full range of computing problems. ...

History and structure

UNIVAC® Sperry Rand label

The most famous UNIVAC product was the UNIVAC I mainframe computer of 1951. It came into the limelight with a bang when it predicted the outcome of the U.S. presidential election the following year. UNIVAC SPERRY RAND Computer Label found in Athens, Greece. ... UNIVAC SPERRY RAND Computer Label found in Athens, Greece. ... The UNIVAC I (UNIVersal Automatic Computer I) was the first commercial computer made in the United States. ... A 1990 Honeywell-Bull DPS 7 mainframe CPU Mainframes (often colloquially referred to as big iron) are large and expensive computers used mainly by government institutions and large companies for mission critical applications, typically bulk data processing such as censuses, industry/consumer statistics, ERP, and bank transaction processing. ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...

In 1953 or 1954 Remington Rand merged their tabulating machine division in Norwalk, Connecticut, the Engineering Research Associates "scientific" computer division, and the UNIVAC "business" computer division into a single division under the UNIVAC name. 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Norwalk is a city located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 82,951. ... Engineering Research Associates, commonly known as ERA, was a pioneering computer firm from the 1950s. ...

In 1955 Remington Rand merged with Sperry Corporation to become Sperry Rand. The UNIVAC division of Remington Rand was renamed Sperry UNIVAC. General Douglas McArthur was chosen to head the company. 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the twentieth century. ...

UNIVAC was one of the eight major computer companies (with IBM - the largest, Burroughs, Scientific Data Systems, Control Data Corporation, General Electric, RCA and Honeywell) through most of the 1960s. (During the 1970s, the major player was IBM, with five others grouped under the rubric "The BUNCH." BUNCH was an acronym for Burroughs, UNIVAC, NCR, Control Data, and Honeywell. Sperry bought out RCA's interest in computers during the 1970s.) The tower of a personal computer (specifically a Power Mac G5). ... International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, or colloquially, Big Blue) (NYSE: IBM) (incorporated June 15, 1911, in operation since 1888) is headquartered in Armonk, New York, USA. The company manufactures and sells computer hardware, software, and services. ... William Seward Burroughs (1857-1898), US inventor William S. Burroughs (1914-1997), author and grandson of William Seward Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), American author of Tarzan fame The Burroughs Corporation began in 1886 as the American Arithmometer Company in St. ... Scientific Data Systems was a computer company started in 1961 by Max Palevsky, a veteran of Packard-Bell and Bendix. ... Control Data Corporation, or CDC, was one of the pioneering supercomputer firms. ... The General Electric Company, or GE, (NYSE: GE) is a multinational technology and services company. ... RCA, formerly an initialism for the Radio Corporation of America, is now a trademark used by two companies for products descended from that common ancestor: Thomson Consumer Electronics, which manufactures RCA-branded televisions, DVD players, video cassette recorders, direct broadcast satellite decoders, camcorders, audio equipment, telephones, and related accessories; and... Honeywell (NYSE: HON) is a major American multinational corporation that produces electronic control systems and automation equipment. ... Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ...

In 1978 Sperry Rand, an old fashioned conglomerate of disharmonious divisions (computers, typewriters, office furniture, hay balers, manure spreaders, gyroscopes, avionics, radar, electric razors), decided to concentrate on its computing interests and unrelated divisions were sold. The company dropped the Rand from its title and reverted back to Sperry Corporation. 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

In 1986, Sperry Corporation merged with (some may opine "was subjected to a hostile takeover by") Burroughs Corporation to become Unisys. 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... William Seward Burroughs (1857-1898), US inventor William S. Burroughs (1914-1997), author and grandson of William Seward Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), American author of Tarzan fame The Burroughs Corporation began in 1886 as the American Arithmometer Company in St. ... Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) is a provider of information technology services and solutions with operations across the world. ...

Since the 1986 marriage of Burroughs and Sperry, Unisys has metamorphosed from a computer manufacturer to a computer services firm, competing in the same marketplace as IBM, EDS, and Computer Sciences Corporation. Such companies design and operate computer system environments (hardware, software, networks and operating schemes), for businesses whose leaders decide not to do that work internally. This is commonly called outsourcing. 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Outsourcing is often defined as the delegation of non-core operations or jobs from internal production to an external entity (such as a subcontractor) that specializes in that operation. ...

Unisys continues to design and manufacture proprietary, mainframe-class computers and associated software.

Models

• The UNIVAC I (UNIVersal Automatic Computer I) was the first commercial computer made in the United States

• The UNIVAC II was an improvement to the UNIVAC I that UNIVAC first delivered in 1958. The improvements included core memory of 2000 to 10000 words, UNISERVO II tape drives which could use either the old UNIVAC I metal tapes or the new mylar tapes, and some of the circuits were transistorized (although it was still a vacuum tube computer). It was fully compatible with existing UNIVAC I programs for both code and data.

• UNIVAC III sucessor to the UNIVAC I and II models, used by the US military.

• Remington Rand 409 was a plugboard programmed punch card calculator, designed in 1949.

• The UNIVAC 418 was a computer in the UNIVAC line produced by Sperry Rand, and the first approach to the establishing of a "table-top" computer. The whole machine was just small enough to fit on the top of a standard office desk. The only one that was known to exist as a working machine was seen in Univac headquarters in London around 1964. It was intended to demonstrate the system at Olympia at the Computer Industries Exhibition. This machine was one of the forerunners of the personal computer.

• The UNIVAC 490 was a 30-bit word core memory machine with 16K or 32K words; 4.8 microsecond cycle time.

• The UNIVAC 492 is similar to the UNIVAC 490, but with extended memory to 64K 30-bit words.

• The UNIVAC 494 was a 30-bit word machine and successor to the UNIVAC 490/492 with faster CPU and 131K core memory. Up to 24 I/O channels were available and the system was usually shipped with UNIVAC FH880 or UNIVAC FH432 or FH1782 magnetic drum storage. Basic operating system was OMEGA (successor to REX for the 490) although custom operating systems were also used (e.g. CONTORTS for airline reservations).

• The UNIVAC 1004 was a plugboard-programmed punch card data processing system, introduced in 1962, by UNIVAC. Total memory was 961 characters (6 bits) of core memory. Peripherals were a card reader (400 cards/minute), a card punch (200 wards/minute) using 90 column round hole cards, and a drum printer (400 lines/minute).

• The UNIVAC 1005, an enhanced version of the UNIVAC 1004, was introduced in February 1966. The main improvement over the 1004 was conversion from external plugboard program to internal stored program. The machine saw extensive use by the US Army, including the first use of an electronic computer on the battlefield.

• The UNIVAC 1101, or ERA 1101, was a computer system designed by Engineering Research Associates (ERA) and built by the Remington Rand corporation in the 1950s. It was the first stored program computer in the US.

• The UNIVAC 1102 or ERA 1102 was designed by Engineering Research Associates for the United States Air Force.

• The UNIVAC 1103 was a suiccessor to the UNIVAC 1101 introduced in 1953. An upgraded version UNIVAC 1103A was released in 1956 and was a contemporary of the IBM 704.

• The UNIVAC 1104 computer system was a 30-bit version of the UNIVAC 1103 built for Westinghouse Electric, in 1957, for use on the BOMARC Missile Program. However, by the time the BOMARC was deployed in the 1960s, a more modern computer (a version of the AN/USQ-20, designated the G-40) had replaced the UNIVAC 1104.

• The UNIVAC 1105 was the successor to the 1103, and was introduced in 1958.

• The UNIVAC 1106 was the third member of Sperry Rand's UNIVAC 1100 series of computers, introduced in December 1969 and was absolutely identical to the UNIVAC 1108 in instruction set. Early versions of the UNIVAC 1106 were simply half speed UNIVAC 1108 systems. Later Sperry Rand used a different memory system which was inherently slower and cheaper than that of the UNIVAC 1108. When Sperry Rand replaced the core memory with semiconductor memory, the same machine was released as the UNIVAC 1100/10. In this new naming convention, the final digit represented the number of CPUs (called CAUs) in the system. Sperry Rand sold a total of 338 processors in 1106 systems.

• The UNIVAC 1107 was the first member of Sperry Rand's UNIVAC 1100 series of computers, introduced in October 1962. Also known as the Thin Film Computer because of its use of thin film memory for its register storage. Only 36 systems were sold.

• The UNIVAC 1110 was the fourth member of Sperry Rand's UNIVAC 1100 series of computers, introduced in 1972. The UNIVAC 1110 had support for multiprocessing: up to six CPUs. When Sperry Rand replaced the core memory with semiconductor memory, the same machine was released as the UNIVAC 1100/40. In this new naming convention, the final digit represented the number of CPUs (called CAUs) in the system. Sperry Rand sold a total of 290 processors in 1110 systems.

• The UNIVAC 1100/60 was introduced in 1979.

• The UNIVAC 1100/90 was the top of the range, liquid cooled version of the 1100 series mainframes.

• The UNIVAC 1100/2200 series is a series of compatible 36-bit computer systems initially made by Sperry Rand. The series continues to be supported today by Unisys Corporation as the ClearPath IX.

• The UNIVAC 9200 replaced the 1004. The printer-processor was one cabinet, the power supply and memory another and the card reader and optional card punch made an 'L' shaped configuration. The system used 'Plated Wire Memory', which functioned somewhat like core memory but used a non-destructive read. Memory was 4k expandable to 16k. The printer was unique as well, using an oscillating-type bar instead of the drums that had been used until this point, and ran at speeds up to 300 lines per minute.

• The UNIVAC Solid State was a 2-address, bi-quinary coded decimal computer, with memory on a rotating drum with 5000 signed 10 digit words. It was one of the first computers to use some solid-state components.

The UNIVAC I (UNIVersal Automatic Computer I) was the first commercial computer made in the United States. ... The UNIVAC I (UNIVersal Automatic Computer I) was the first commercial computer made in the United States. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A 16×16 cm area core memory plane of 128×128 bits, i. ... Mylar is a trade name of DuPont Teijin Films of Hopewell, VA for biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) polyester film used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency, and electrical insulation. ... Through hole transistors (tape measure marked in centimeters) The transistor is a solid state semiconductor device which can be used for amplification, switching, voltage stabilization, signal modulation and many other functions. ... In electronics, a vacuum tube (American English) or (thermionic) valve (British English) is a device generally used to amplify a signal. ... UNIVAC 120 The Remington Rand 409 plugboard programmed punch card calculator, designed in 1949, was sold in two models: the UNIVAC 60 (1952) and the UNIVAC 120 (1953). ... The tower of a personal computer (specifically a Power Mac G5). ... The American company Univac began as the business computer division of Remington Rand formed by the purchase of the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation (EMCC) in 1950. ... The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Olympia is the home to the Olympia Exhibition Halls. ... The UNIVAC 490 was a 30-bit word core memory machine with 16K or 32K words; 4. ... The UNIVAC 490 was a 30-bit word core memory machine with 16K or 32K words; 4. ... Extended memory refers to memory above the first megabyte of address space in an IBM PC with an 80286 or later processor. ... The central processing unit (CPU) is the part of a computer that interprets and carries out the instructions contained in the software. ... The punch card (or Hollerith card) is a recording medium for holding information for use by automated data processing machines. ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... A 16×16 cm area core memory plane of 128×128 bits, i. ... The UNIVAC 1004 was a plugboard-programmed punch card data processing system, introduced in 1962, by Univac. ... 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The so-called von Neumann architecture is a model for a computing machine that uses a single storage structure to hold both the set of instructions on how to perform the computation and the data required or generated by the computation. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The UNIVAC 1101, or ERA 1101, was a computer system designed by Engineering Research Associates (ERA) and built by the Remington Rand corporation in the 1950s. ... The UNIVAC 1102 or ERA 1102 was designed by Engineering Research Associates for the United States Air Forces Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma, Tennessee in response to a request for proposal issued in 1950. ... The UNIVAC 1103 or ERA 1103, a successor to the UNIVAC 1101, was a computer system designed by Engineering Research Associates and built by the Remington Rand corporation in October, 1953. ... The UNIVAC 1103A or Univac Scientific was an upgraded version of the UNIVAC 1103 introduced by Sperry Rand in March, 1956. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, or colloquially, Big Blue) (NYSE: IBM) (incorporated June 15, 1911, in operation since 1888) is headquartered in Armonk, New York, USA. The company manufactures and sells computer hardware, software, and services. ... The tower of a personal computer (specifically a Power Mac G5). ... A bit (abbreviated b) is the most basic information unit used in computing and information theory. ... The UNIVAC 1103 or ERA 1103, a successor to the UNIVAC 1101, was a computer system designed by Engineering Research Associates and built by the Remington Rand corporation in October, 1953. ... Westinghouse logo (designed by Paul Rand) The Westinghouse Electric Company, headquartered in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, is an organization founded by George Westinghouse in 1886. ... 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bomarc missile launch The Bomarc Missile Program was a joint United States of America-Canada effort during 1957 to 1971 to protect against the USSR bomber threat. ... Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... The AN/USQ-20, or Navy Tactical Data System (NTDS), was designed as a more reliable replacement for the AN/USQ-17 with the same instruction set. ... The UNIVAC 1105 was a followon computer to the UNIVAC 1103A introduced by Sperry Rand in September, 1958. ... The UNIVAC 1100/2200 series is a series of compatible 36 bit computer systems initially made by Sperry Rand. ... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... The UNIVAC 1108 was the second member of Sperry Rands UNIVAC 1100 series of computers, introduced in 1964. ... An instruction set, or instruction set architecture (ISA), describes the aspects of a computer architecture visible to a programmer, including the native datatypes, instructions, registers, addressing modes, memory architecture, interrupt and exception handling, and external I/O (if any). ... A 16×16 cm area core memory plane of 128×128 bits, i. ... Semiconductor memory is a generic term referring to any computer storage method implemented on a semiconductor-based integrated circuit. ... The central processing unit (CPU) is the part of a computer that interprets and carries out the instructions contained in the software. ... The UNIVAC 1100/2200 series is a series of compatible 36 bit computer systems initially made by Sperry Rand. ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Thin film memory is a high-speed variation of core memory developed by Sperry Rand in a government-funded research project. ... The UNIVAC 1100/2200 series is a series of compatible 36 bit computer systems initially made by Sperry Rand. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... A 16×16 cm area core memory plane of 128×128 bits, i. ... Semiconductor memory is a generic term referring to any computer storage method implemented on a semiconductor-based integrated circuit. ... The central processing unit (CPU) is the part of a computer that interprets and carries out the instructions contained in the software. ... UNIVAC 1100/60 The UNIVAC 1100/60, introduced in 1979, continued the venerable UNIVAC 1100 series first introduced in 1962 with the UNIVAC 1107. ... The UNIVAC 1100/2200 series is a series of compatible 36 bit computer systems initially made by Sperry Rand. ... The UNIVAC 1100/2200 series is a series of compatible 36 bit computer systems initially made by Sperry Rand. ... The UNIVAC 1004 was a plugboard-programmed punch card data processing system, introduced in 1962, by Univac. ... A 16×16 cm area core memory plane of 128×128 bits, i. ... The UNIVAC Solid State was a 2-address, bi-quinary coded decimal computer, with memory on a rotating drum with 5000 signed 10 digit words, spinning at 17,667 RPM in a helium atmosphere. ...

See also

List of UNIVAC products FASTRAND History of computing hardware The Remington Rand years (1950 to 1955) Calculating devices UNIVAC 60 UNIVAC 120 Computer systems UNIVAC I UNIVAC 1101 UNIVAC 1102 UNIVAC 1103 Peripherals Storage UNISERVO tape drive The Sperry Rand years (1955 to 1978) Calculating devices UNIVAC 1004 UNIVAC 1005 Computer systems Embedded systems AN/USQ-17 – the Navy... FASTRAND was a magnetic drum mass storage system built by Sperry Rand Corporation for their UNIVAC 1100 series computers. ... Computing hardware has been an essential component of the process of calculation and data storage since it became useful for numerical values to be processed and shared. ...

External links

• UNIVAC® Memories (http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/univac/);
• Unisys History Newsletter (http://www.cc.gatech.edu/services/unisys-folklore/).
• Universal Automatic Computer Model II (http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/BRL61-u4.html#UNIVAC-II)
• UNIVAC 1004 80/90 Card Processor (http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/BRL64-u.html#UNIVAC-1004-80/90)
• The Case 1107 (http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/univac/case1107.html)
• Unisys History Newsletter. Volume 1, Number 3 (http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/people/randy.carpenter/folklore/v1n3.html)

UNIVAC® has been, over the years, a registered trademark of:

• Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation
• Remington Rand Corporation
• Sperry Rand Corporation
• Sperry Corporation
• Unisys Corporation