[SIGCIS-Members] Philly Compuseum's "ENIAC Founders, Families and Futures - 80 Years On" in West Chester, PA and online (free) on Sunday 2 to 4pm Eastern

Mon Feb 16 12:46:07 PST 2026

Hello Jeffrey,
 was the meeting recorded? If so, could you let us know the link?

Thanks!
Hernan.

On Thu, Feb 12, 2026 at 4:19 PM Jeffrey Yost via Members <
members at lists.sigcis.org> wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
> The new Philadelphia Compuseum (honored to have just been added to the
> Advisory Board) is holding a 2 hour (online) conference event, and 4 hour
> (at the museum) festivities with reception, an ENIAC cake, etc. (the cake
> has candied vacuum tubes and all, but photos can hold up SIGCIS posts so
> you can see it at the Compuseum website if interested).
>
>  The online Program is 2-4pm Eastern on Sunday and is free, a Zoom
> meeting. It will have talks by a combination of some historians such as
> Kathy Kleiman, Paul Ceruzzi and me; some talks by the daughters, sons, and
> grandchildren of John Mauchly, J. Presper-Eckert, Jean Bartik.... such as
> John Mauchly and Kay McNulty's son Bill Mauchly.
>
> The Compuseum is early in the formative stages without a location yet. It
> will be seeking a physical location in Philadelphia in the near future. The
> Compuseum is partnering with a large museum in the Philly Metro, the
> American Helicopter Museum, for the ENIAC Event.  Hope to see some of you
> in person (I am going to Philly and will present in person) or online.
>
> Best, Jeff
>
> [Cut and pasted text from the Compuseum is below]
>
>
>
> *80th Anniversary Celebration of ENIACAmerican Helicopter Museum, West
> Chester, PAFebruary 15th, 2026  (Sunday)*
>
>
>
>
> *Sign Up
> Here:https://www.helicoptermuseum.org/event-details/eniac-day-celebration
> <https://www.helicoptermuseum.org/event-details/eniac-day-celebration>
> (online attendance is FREE)$20 per person for Museum Entry. Zoom attendees
> no charge, Registration Required.*
>
> The year 2026 marks 80 years since the public unveiling of ENIAC on
> February 15, 1946, a moment widely recognized as the birth of the modern
> computer age. ENIAC — the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer —
> was the world’s first all‑electronic, programmable, general‑purpose
> computer, and its debut fundamentally reshaped science, engineering, and
> society.
>
> 🖥️ Why ENIAC Was Revolutionary
> ENIAC was developed at the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of
> Electrical Engineering by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert. It was
> originally designed to compute complex ballistic trajectories for the U.S.
> Army during World War II — calculations that previously took human
> mathematicians days or weeks.
> Key breakthroughs included:
> •     Fully electronic operation using vacuum tubes
> •     Programmability (though rewiring was required)
> •     Massive speed improvements over mechanical calculators
> •     A design that inspired generations of computer architectures
> Many historians consider ENIAC one of the greatest engineering
> achievements of the 20th century.
>
> 🗓️ How the 80th Anniversary Is Being Celebrated
> Several organizations and communities are marking the anniversary with
> events, exhibitions, and educational programs:
> World Computer Day 2026
> The global theme for 2026 is “ENIAC 80th Anniversary: The Computer That
> Changed the World.”
> Events highlight:
> •     ENIAC’s global impact
> •     The stories of its founders and their families
> •     How wartime innovation shaped modern computing
> Local Celebrations in Pennsylvania
> Given ENIAC’s Philadelphia roots, regional institutions are especially
> active. For example, a museum in West Chester, PA is hosting exhibits
> commemorating the unveiling and exploring ENIAC’s legacy in the digital age.
> ENIAC Day – February 15
> Each year, ENIAC Day raises awareness of the machine’s contributions and
> honors the people who built and operated it. The 80th anniversary gives
> this annual celebration special significance.
>
> 🧭 Why This Anniversary Matters Today
> The ENIAC anniversary isn’t just nostalgia — it’s a reminder of how
> quickly computing has evolved. In 1946, ENIAC filled a room and consumed
> massive amounts of power. Today, your phone outperforms it by orders of
> magnitude.iAC
> But the conceptual leap ENIAC represented — that machines could be fully
> electronic, programmable, and general‑purpose — is the foundation of
> everything from laptops to AI.
>
> -
>
> If you are interested in celebrating with us, sign up below...
>
>
> Starting at museum open at 1PM (EST).
> Video Presentation runs two hours from 2PM-4PM (EST) in the museum
> Auditorium,
> Afterwards is 1 hour duration "meet and greet".
> Museum closes at 5PM (EST).
> This is also a virtual/online/hybrid event on the Zoom Platform.
> Invitations via Helicopter Museum and Compuseum
>
> Sign Up Here:
> https://www.helicoptermuseum.org/event-details/eniac-day-celebration
> (online attendance is FREE)
>
> $20 per person for Museum Entry. Zoom attendees no charge, Registration
> Required.
>
> Event Title: ENIAC Founders, Families and Futures - 80 Years On
>
> *Presentation on Zoom and in Auditorium*
>
>
> Kickoff By:
>
> Paul Kahan (CEO- Helicopter Museum) 2 minutes
> Jim Scherrer (CEO- Compuseum) 2 minutes
>
>
> Keynote - Kathy Kleiman - "The Incredible People of the ENIAC Team:  Why
> We Still Celebrate Them 80 Years Later."  A Deep Dive Into Proving Ground
> People by Author-  "Proving Grounds; The Untold Story of the Six Women Who
> Programmed the World's First Modern Computer." Purchase Book here:
> https://a.co/d/0eu2p78z   (Confirmed - In person)
>
> Brian Stuart - "The ENIAC in Context"
> A deep technical dive into how the master programmer makes the ENIAC
> satisfy the criteria necessary for universality in the Turing sense and to
> clarify the relationship between Turing's work and that of Mauchly and
> Eckert.  (Confirmed - In Person)
>
> Paul Ceruzzi - "Perspective on ENIAC, 80 years On" Author "A New History
> of Modern Computing" book along with Tom Haigh. (Confirmed Virtual)
>
> Tom Burick -  "How Today's High School Students built a full sized replica
> of ENIAC, from scratch!"  IT Instructor, PS Academy, Arizona.  Also,
> presentation by student leader Ethan Myers.  (Confirmed, In Person)
>
> Bill Mauchly -  "Giant Brain Takes Over the World" the story we can never
> let go of.  Bill is from First Family of Computing - Son of John Mauchly
> and Kathleen "Kay" McNulty Mauchly  (Confirmed, In Person)
>
> Chris Eckert -  "Recollections of My Dad" First Family of Computing - Son
> of J. Presper Eckert  (Confirmed, Virtual)
>
> Gini Mauchly -  "What Kay McNulty would Tell you about How to Be
> Successful."  First Family of Computing - Daughter of John Mauchly and
> Kathleen "Kay" McNulty Mauchly  (Confirmed, In Person)
>
> Naomi Most -  "Did my IT career result from my DNA" Granddaughter of Kay
> McNulty (Confirmed, Virtual)
>
> Dr. Tim Bartik -  "Recollections of My Mother". Son of  Jean Jennings
> Bartik, 1st ENIAC Programmer   (Confirmed, Virtual)
>
> Jeffrey Yost -  "The ENIAC's Unveiling: Shaping Metaphors and Meanings in
> Computing"  Director, Charles Babbage Institute for Computing, Information
> & Culture  (Confirmed, In Person)
>
> Paul Shaffer -  "How the ENIAC made Quadrotor Drones Possible; From Vacuum
> Tubes to Vertical Flight"  ENIAC Historian at PENN-  (Confirmed, In Person)
>
> Kenneth Chaney "See PENN's Supercomputer" with Associate Director of AI
> and Technology for PARCC - Visitors will see the Betty Holberton
> supercomputer at PENN  (named after Betty Holberton, ENIAC programmer)
> https://parcc.upenn.edu/systems/betty/
>  (Confirmed, On Site)
>
> Q&A Session - 10 Minutes - Audience asks Questions directed to speakers.
> Moderated by Jim Scherrer and Kathy Kleiman
>
> Show & Tell -  See quadcopter, ENIAC 3D models and members can show off
> their ENIAC equipment or memorabilia.
>
> Wrap Up Thank you from -  Jim Scherrer (Compuseum); Paul Kahan (Helicopter
> Museum)
>
>
> Group Photo in front of the Auditorium.
>
> 1 hour "ENIAC Cake" party at the museum (4-5PM) then after-party.
> **   *   *   *   *   **
> *Jeffrey Yost, Ph.D. *
> *Director, Charles Babbage Institute for Computing, Information & Culture*
> *Research Professor, History of Sci., Tech., Med., University of Minnesota*
>
> *Just Code: Power, Inequality and the Political Economy of IT (Johns
> Hopkins U. Press, co-edited w/ Gerardo Con Diaz)
> <https://press.jhu.edu/books/title/12804/just-code> *
> *Making IT Work: A History of the Computer Services Industry (MIT Press)
> <https://amzn.to/3gqe4R6>*
> *Studies in Computing and Culture book series, Johns Hopkins U. Press
> <https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/series/studies-computing-and-culture> *Co-Editor
> (w/ Con Diaz)
> *PI, NSF-funded CBI project "Mining a Useable Past: Perspectives,
> Paradoxes, and Possibilities with Security and Privacy."*
> *Blockchain & Society* <https://www.blockchainandsociety.com>* (crit.
> inq. essays & resources)* (Founder/Leader)
>
> *Interfaces: Essays and Reviews in Computing and Culture
> <https://cse.umn.edu/cbi/interfaces> *Co-Editor-in-Chief (w/ Amanda Wick)
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion
> list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member
> posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list
> archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and
> you can change your subscription options at
> http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org
>

-- 

*Hernán WilkinsonAgile Software Development, Teaching & Coaching*
*Phone: +54-011*-4893-2057
*Twitter: @HernanWilkinson*
*site: http://www.10Pines.com <http://www.10pines.com/>*
Address: Alem 896, Floor 6, Buenos Aires, Argentina
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/attachments/20260216/258a02f6/attachment.htm>