Jean Bartik: The Pioneer of Computer Programming Who Helped Build the ENIAC Computer
Jean Bartik: The Pioneer of Computer Programming Who Helped Build the ENIAC Computer The world of computing would not be the same were it not for Jean Bartik, a pioneering computer programmer who helped build the first all-electronic, general-purpose computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC). Born in December 1924, Jean, who was originally named Betty Jean Jennings, grew up in the southwestern Missouri town of Neosho. After graduating from high school, she attended Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College, receiving an Associate of Arts degree in secretarial science. Jean's role as a pioneering computer programmer was a major step in the direction of computing as we know it today. In 1943, during the height of World War II, the US Army commissioned the construction of the first all-electronic, general-purpose computer, the ENIAC. John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert were the lead inventors on the team, but they needed a team of highly qualified women...