Betty Jean Jennings, later known as Jean Bartik, helped initiate the era of digital computing as one of the original six programmers for the Electronic Numeric Integrator and Computer, or ENIAC. She was tasked with calculating complex ballistics trajectories for the United States Army during the Second World War, utilizing mathematics to navigate the first machine of its kind.
Academic and Early Career
Born in 1924 in Alanthus Grove, Missouri, Bartik pursued mathematics at Northwest Missouri State University, graduating in 1945 as the only mathematics major in her class. Shortly thereafter, she joined the University of Pennsylvania, where she worked for the Moore School of Electrical Engineering. Initially employed to calculate ballistics trajectories by hand, she soon moved to the ENIAC project.
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Tasked with programming the ENIAC without formal manuals or prior instruction, Bartik and her colleagues studied schematic diagrams and consulted with engineers to master the device. They developed fundamental techniques such as subroutines and nesting by physically rerouting cables and manipulating switches. In February 1946, she helped demonstrate the machine's capabilities, proving it could compute trajectories significantly faster than existing electromechanical methods.
Post-ENIAC Professional Life
Following her work on the ENIAC, Bartik held positions at the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation from 1948 to 1950 and Remington Rand from 1950 to 1951. Her career spanned several roles, including technical writer, programmer, and manager at companies such as Honeywell and Auerbach Publications between 1967 and 1986. She also obtained a master's degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania in 1967.
Awards and Recognition
Throughout her later life, Bartik received various honors for her contributions to computing history. She was inducted into the Women in Technology Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2008, she was awarded the Computer Pioneer Award and named a Fellow of the Computer History Museum. She died in 2011 in Poughkeepsie and is buried at Jennings Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1924, Alanthus Grove
- Died: 2011, Poughkeepsie
- Education: Northwest Missouri State University, University of Pennsylvania
- Key Project: ENIAC
- Major Employer: Moore School of Electrical Engineering
- Notable Award: Computer Pioneer Award (2008)
- Hall of Fame Inductee: 1997
- Final Resting Place: Jennings Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What was the significance of the ENIAC demonstration in 1946?
It proved that the ENIAC could calculate ballistics trajectories 1,000 times faster than prior machines, completing tasks in 20 seconds that previously required 40 hours of human labor.
How did Bartik learn to program the ENIAC?
Without a manual or prior training, she and her fellow programmers learned to operate the machine by reviewing schematic diagrams and interviewing the engineers who built it.
Achievements
- Women in Technology Hall of Fame — 1997
- Notable work: ENIAC
- Affiliated with Remington Rand, Auerbach Publications and Honeywell
- Educated at Northwest Missouri State University and University of Pennsylvania
- Worked as programmer, mathematician and computer scientist
