When Computers Were Human
When Computers Were Human
David Alan Grier
To read the entire book description or the introduction, please visit:
http://press.princeton.edu/titles/7999.html
Before Palm Pilots and iPods, PCs and laptops, the term "computer" referred to the people who did scientific calculations by hand. These workers were neither calculating geniuses nor idiot savants but knowledgeable people who, in other circumstances, might have become scientists in their own right. When Computers Were Human represents the first in-depth account of this little-known, 200-year epoch in the history of science and technology.