US #3106
1996 Computer Technology
- Issued in honor of 50th anniversary of first modern computer
- Printed in semijumbo size
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Value: 32¢, First-Class Mail rate
First Day of Issue: October 8, 1996
First Day City: Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
Quantity I... more
US #3106
1996 Computer Technology
- Issued in honor of 50th anniversary of first modern computer
- Printed in semijumbo size
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Value: 32¢, First-Class Mail rate
First Day of Issue: October 8, 1996
First Day City: Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
Quantity Issued: 93,612,000
Printed by: Aston-Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Lithographed and Engraved
Format: Panes of 40 from plates of 160
Perforations: 10.9 x 11.1
Why the stamp was issued: The Computer Technology stamp was issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ENIAC, the first modern computer
About the stamp design: The stamp design is the work of Nancy Skolos, a designer, and her husband Tom Wedell, who is a photographer. The base of the design is an image of a human brain taken from an old anatomy textbook. The cubes surrounding the brain show photos of parts of computer circuit boards.
About the printing process: Most of the stamp was produced using lithography, but the word “Computer” and the “USA” were engraved.
First Day City: The stamp was dedicated at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, where the ENIAC computer was first used. The ceremony took place at the Army Research Laboratory.
History the stamp represents:
Since ancient times people have used calculating devices, but it wasn’t until 1946 that the first general-purpose digital computer was developed.
With the onset of World War II, the ballistic research laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground was in need of a more advanced way to prepare firing and bombing tables for the Army and Army Air Corps. Until that time, these calculations had been carried out on a continuous variable calculator, which was not only extremely slow, but also subject to frequent breakdowns.
In an effort to improve the efficiency of their equipment, the staff at Aberdeen began working closely with the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electrical Engineering. Through this coordinated, effort a plan was also formulated to produce the world’s first “true” computer. Using this plan, two engineers from the Moore School went on to develop ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer). Completed in 1946, it weighed more than 30 tons, and occupied more than 1500 square feet.
Used to calculate firing tables, as well as conduct top-secret research in the development of the hydrogen bomb, ENIAC ushered the world into the computer age and paved the way for smaller, more powerful computers.
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