Census Bureau dedicates UNIVAC I; the eight-ton machine took half an hour just to turn on

The U.S. Census Bureau had been looking for a faster way to process its mountains of population data since before the 1950 count began. On June 14, 1951, it formally dedicated UNIVAC I — the first general-purpose electronic digital computer built in the United States for business and administrative use — a machine designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly that weighed more than eight tons, consumed 125 kilowatts of electricity, and required half an hour just to turn on. The Bureau had accepted delivery on March 31 and would rely on the machine until 1963. Forty-six systems were eventually built; one remained in commercial service until 1970…