especially grateful for the careful reading and suggestions of Ted Porter. For their kindness, sharp eyes, and insightful suggestions, I absolve them of any responsibility for such errors as remain in the manuscript. I have also had guidance from a number of colleagues who have shared their thoughts on this project, including Horace Judson, Freeman Dyson, Susan Strasser, Anne Fitzpatrick, Bill Aspray, Martin Campbell-Kelly, Paul Ceruzzi, Jennifer Light, James Cortada, Tara Wallace, Ed McCord, Michael Moses, Steve Dick, Ian Bartky, Ruth Wallace, Chris Sterling, Ed Berkowitz, Howard Gillette, and Barney Mergan.
Appendix: Recurring Characters, Institutions, and Concepts
T HIS BOOK contains a large number of characters, many of whom disappear after their initial introduction and return several chapters later in the narrative. This section is meant to be a guide to the most important recurring people, institutions, and concepts. It gives a brief description of key items; a more complete list of characters is found in the index.
A BERDEEN P ROVING G ROUND
U.S. Army testing site for artillery, opened in 1918 with Princeton mathematician Oswald Veblen on staff
A BRAMOWITZ , M ILTON (1913â1958)
Planning committee member of Mathematical Tables Project, editor of Handbook of Mathematical Functions
A DMIRALTY C OMPUTING S ERVICE
English computing organization of the Second World War led by John Todd
A IKEN , H OWARD (1900â1973)
Harvard graduate student and designer of MARK I mechanical computing device
A IRY , G EORGE B IDDLE (1801â1892)
English Astronomer Royal, reorganized Greenwich Observatory computers with principles of factory production
A LEMBERT , J EAN L E R OND D â (1717â1783)
French mathematician and critic of calculations for first return of Halleyâs comet
A PPLIED M ATHEMATICS P ANEL
Division of Office of Scientific Research and Development concerned with mathematical research, led by Warren Weaver and headquartered in New York City
A RCHIBALD , R AYMOND C LAIRE (1875â1955)
Editor of the journal Mathematical Tables and Other Aids to Computation
A TANASOFF , J OHN V INCENT (1903â1995)
Iowa State College physics professor, designed small computer to solve simultaneous equations problems
B ABBAGE , C HARLES (1791â1871)
British mathematician and designer of computing machine called difference engine
B ELL T ELEPHONE L ABORATORIES
American industrial research laboratory founded in 1925, supported computing groups and developed early electromechanical computer
B ENNETT , A. A. (1888â1971)
Brown University mathematician, member of Aberdeen Proving Ground staff in First World War, chair of the Subcommittee on the Bibliography of Mathematical Tables and Other Aids to Computation
B IOMETRICS L ABORATORY ; see G ALTON L ABORATORY
B LANCH , G ERTRUDE (1896â1996)
Mathematical leader of Mathematical Tables Project
B RITISH A SSOCIATION FOR THE A DVANCEMENT OF S CIENCE , M ATHEMATICAL T ABLES C OMMITTEE
Committee of scientists who computed tables of higher mathematical functions
B RUNSVIGA
Mechanical calculator that was a favorite of Karl Pearson and the British statistical community
B UREAU DU C ADASTRE
French survey organization, led by Gaspard de Prony, that computed decimal trigonometry tables during the French Revolution
B URROUGHS , W ILLIAM S EWARD (1855â1898)
Early successful American adding machine manufacturer; machines later adapted as difference engines
B USH , V ANNEVAR (1890â1974)
MIT engineer, directed American scientific effort during Second World War
C AVE -B ROWNE -C AVE , F RANCES (1876â1965)
Mathematics professor at Girton College, Cambridge, U.K., did calculations for Karl Pearson
C LAIRAUT , A LEXIS -C LAUDE (1713â1765)
French mathematician, computed perihelion of Halleyâs comet at first return in 1758
C OAST ( AND G EODETIC ) S URVEY
First U.S. government scientific organization, maintained