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Rediscovering WWII's Top-Secret Computing 'Rosies'

Posted by Roblimo on from the better-65-years-late-than-never dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Women were recruited to do ballistics calculations and program computers during WWII. Half a century later, their work is only beginning to get recognition." Some of that recognition is in the form of a documentary film released in 2010 titled Top Secret Rosies.

1 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. Makes me think of Feynman by tibit · · Score: 5, Informative

    When Feynman was setting up discretized integrations using IBM machines for the Manhattan project, he made a human calculator model for what the IBM kit would do. The girls calculated as fast as the IBM punched-card based system of tabulators, collators, multipliers, adders, etc. In his words:

    The only difference was that the IBM machines didn't get tired and could work three shifts. But the girls got tired after a while.

    Never mind that he loved being around girls ;)

    --
    A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.