Univac

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

  1. A pioneering electronic computer developed in the mid-20th century primarily for data processing ; a brand name that became synonymous with early computing machines used by governments and businesses ; a historic system representing one of the first commercial computers designed to automate complex calculations and data handling
  2. An early digital computer created to perform large-scale computations for military and civilian uses ; a notable example of first-generation computer technology marked by vacuum tubes and magnetic tape storage ; a landmark in computer history that introduced programmable automation to data processing tasks
  3. A groundbreaking machine built to solve scientific and administrative problems through electronic calculations ; a significant early computer that contributed to the evolution of modern computing systems ; a historic computing device recognized for its role in automating intricate numerical and data-related operations

Etymology: UNIVAC is an acronym for Universal Automatic Computer, and it is one of the rare computer names that began as a company's proprietary brand and then became a generic-sounding noun for an entire class of machines. The system was designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, the team behind ENIAC, and the first UNIVAC I was delivered to the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951. Eckert and Mauchly had founded their own company in 1946, and it was later absorbed into Remington Rand, which marketed the machine under the UNIVAC name. The machine's fame came in 1952, when it correctly predicted Dwight Eisenhower's landslide over Adlai Stevenson on CBS television election night. Its projection was so confident that the network's staff initially refused to believe it, and the operators reportedly adjusted the model to better match the early returns. Its success made "UNIVAC" a household name, so that for a time many people used it to mean any large electronic computer, much as "Hoover" came to stand for vacuum cleaners.

Synonyms: universal automatic computer, early computer