Mauchly, John William

Mauchly, John William (1907–80) physicist, computer inventor; born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He taught for several years after graduating from Johns Hopkins University, then joined John P. Eckert at the University of Pennsylvania in the development of ENIAC, the first practical electronic digital computer. Their improved version, UNIVAC I, was acquired for use by the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951. These early Eckert-Mauchly machines helped launch the computer revolution of the second half of the 20th century.