Herman H. Goldstine Collection
Herman H. Goldstine (b. Chicago, 1913- ), mathematician, was intimately involved in the design and development of the first electronic computers. Educated at the University of Chicago, he received his B.S. (1933), M.S. (1934), and Ph.D. (1936) in mathematics.
Upon entering the U.S. Army in 1942 he headed the Ordnance Department's substation located at the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Electrical Engineering. The research done there in connection with the Ordnance Ballistic Research Laboratories, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, led to the development of the first electronic digital computer, ENIAC (electronic numerical integrator and computer), and the next one, EDVAC (electronic discrete variable computer).
As the world's first electronic digital computer, ENIAC led the computer field during the period 1949 through 1952. Originally the major instrument for the computation of all ballistic tables for the U.S. Army and Air Force, it surpassed all other existing computers in solving problems involving a large number of arithmetic operations. In addition to ballistics, the ENIAC's field of application eventually included weather prediction, atomic-energy calculations, cosmic-ray studies, thermal ignition, random number studies, wind-tunnel design, and other scientific uses. By 1955, however, ENIAC was no longer competitive from an economic point of view and its power was removed.
After leaving the Army in 1945 Dr. Goldstine joined the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University as an appointed member of the School of Mathematics in 1946. He collaborated with John von Neumann on the development of a computer built there as Assistant Project Director (1946-1955) and acting Project Director (1954-1957) of the electronic computer project.
In March of 1958 he joined IBM as a member of the Research Planning staff and became director of scientific development at the Data Processing Division. In December of 1967 he was appointed Consultant to the Director of Research.
In 1972 Dr. Goldstine published a book entitled The Computer from Pascal to von Neumann (Princeton University Press). Dr. Goldstine died in 2004.