UNIVAC: The First Modern

Computer

Creators: J. Presper Eckert and

John Mauchly
UNIVAC was created to replace older punch-card
machines. It used magnetic tape which was
significantly faster than punch cards, and easier to use.
UNIVAC was socially accepted after it
accurately predicted the outcome of the
Eisenhower-Stevenson Presidential race.
After that, it became the worlds first
commercially available; before that,
computers were specially made for
specific uses.
One positive impact was that computers
were now seen as more accessible, as
they were now able to be produced
commercially. People now saw them as
multiple function tools, instead of
specialized ones.
 A negative impact was that
people were going down the
path where people would be
more and more dependant on
computers, now that they
could be commercially
produced. This could be seen
as both positive and negative,
but it defiantly helped lead to
today’s dependency on
machines.