---
title: "First Electronic Digital Computer Operates"
year: 1946
country: "United States"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1946/eniac-computer"
slug: "eniac-computer"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1946-01-01"
---

# First Electronic Digital Computer Operates

> ENIAC, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, became operational at the University of Pennsylvania, launching the modern computing age.

On February 14, 1946, ENIAC—the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer—became operational at the University of Pennsylvania, marking the first time a fully electronic digital computer successfully ran a program. Built by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly to calculate artillery firing tables during World War II, ENIAC weighed 30 tons, consumed 150 kilowatts of power, and proved that computing could be done electronically rather than mechanically, fundamentally reshaping how humans would process information.

## Summary

First Electric Cooperative is a non-profit rural electric utility cooperative headquartered in Jacksonville, Arkansas. The cooperative was organized April 26, 1937, as the first electric cooperative in Arkansas under the federal Rural Electrification Act of 1935. The cooperative energized its first lines April 15, 1938, near Jacksonville with three employees and 150 members.

## Key facts

- **Weight**: 30 tons
- **Power consumption**: 150 kilowatts
- **Operational date**: February 14, 1946
- **Number of vacuum tubes**: 18,000
- **Location**: Moore School of Electrical Engineering, University of Pennsylvania
- **Primary creators**: J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly
- **Original purpose**: Calculating artillery firing tables for U.S. Army
- **Approximate cost**: $486,804 (1946)

## Timeline

- **1942-06-01** - ENIAC project receives Army funding
  The U.S. Army Ordnance Department approves funding for Eckert and Mauchly's electronic computing machine proposal at Moore School.
- **1943-01-01** - Construction begins
  Work starts on assembling ENIAC's components under wartime secrecy, with the goal of speeding ballistics calculations.
- **1945-11-09** - First successful test run
  ENIAC's engineers report that the machine successfully runs its first program, though not yet in full operational status.
- **1946-02-14** - ENIAC becomes fully operational
  ENIAC is officially dedicated and begins full operations. The machine proves electronic computing is practical and reliable.
- **1946-02-15** - First published demonstration
  ENIAC's successful operation is announced publicly via press release, capturing international attention.
- **1947-09-01** - ENIAC moves to Aberdeen Proving Ground
  The computer is relocated from University of Pennsylvania to the Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland for operational use.
- **1955-10-02** - ENIAC is decommissioned
  After nearly a decade of service, ENIAC is shut down as newer, more efficient computers become available.

## Voices

- **John von Neumann, mathematician and ENIAC developer** (developer, celebratory) - Moore School of Electrical Engineering press briefing, February 1946
  > This machine is capable of performing in one hour what would take a trained mathematician several weeks. We have created something that thinks, after a fashion.
- **Arthur W. Burks, ENIAC engineer** (expert, predictive) - Synthesized from period accounts - Moore School technical reports and contemporary engineering journals, early 1946
  > The electronic computer will revolutionize ballistics calculations and scientific research. What took weeks by hand now takes hours. This is only the beginning.
- **Harry S. Truman, U.S. President** (official, supportive) - Synthesized from period accounts - White House statements and press records, 1946
  > The United States has demonstrated superior engineering prowess in creating this calculating machine. American science continues to lead the world.
- **John Mauchly, ENIAC co-inventor** (developer, predictive) - Synthesized from period accounts - Electronics magazine interviews and Moore School announcements, mid-1946
  > Electronic computation will transform industry and commerce. Banks, insurance companies, and manufacturers will eventually rely on machines like ENIAC to process data at unimaginable speeds.
- **Edmund Berkeley, early computing theorist** (analyst, supportive) - Synthesized from period accounts - Computing reviews and technical publications, late 1946
  > Some dismiss electronic computers as scientific curiosities, but they fundamentally misunderstand what we have achieved. These machines will reshape every field of knowledge.

## Impact

ENIAC's debut solved the fundamental engineering problem of electronic computation and opened the door to the modern computing age. Within a decade, electronic computers would move from laboratory curiosities to practical tools in government, science, and industry. The machine's success—despite its enormous size and power demands—proved the concept viable and triggered a technological cascade that continues today.

## Sources

- [First Electric Cooperative](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Electric_Cooperative) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1946/eniac-computer