The World's Largest Computer in 1951

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around historical and technical aspects of significant machines and vehicles, including the ENIAC computer and the Russian Ekranoplan. Participants engage in a quiz-like format, posing questions and providing hints about various inventions, their specifications, and historical context.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes the ENIAC, detailing its size, weight, components, and power consumption, while noting its limited processing power compared to modern devices.
  • Another participant identifies the ENIAC as the machine described in the previous post.
  • Participants discuss a large vehicle that weighs 540 tons, can travel over land and water, and is hinted to be built in Russia, leading to speculation about its identity.
  • Some participants propose that the vehicle in question is the Russian Ekranoplan, explaining its design and operational principles related to ground effect.
  • There is a discussion about a vehicle that achieved over 188 miles per gallon, with participants speculating on its type and historical significance, including a mention of a Harley Davidson motorcycle from 1908.
  • One participant describes a crude device involving a wooden stand, a funnel, acid, and copper wire, prompting further questions about its purpose.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the identity of some machines, particularly the vehicle that achieved high fuel efficiency, as various guesses and clarifications are made. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the specifics of some inventions and their historical context.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the specifications and classifications of the vehicles discussed, particularly regarding the Ekranoplan's operational capabilities and the fuel efficiency claims of the motorcycle.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in the history of computing, engineering innovations, and the evolution of vehicle technology may find this discussion engaging.

  • #961
Gokul43201 said:
This is not the guy that came up with DDT, is it ? I think not...and I'm off.
No, not the DDT guy.
 
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  • #962
zoobyshoe said:
During the conflict, he sometimes resorted to using old window panes.

Some pioneer of photography perhaps?
 
  • #963
brewnog said:
Some pioneer of photography perhaps?
That certainly makes sense. Photos were done on glass plates. That 'Brownie' guy that the Kodak/Brownie camera was named for? Or George Eastman? Maybe even earlier than that.
 
  • #964
Danger said:
That certainly makes sense. Photos were done on glass plates. That 'Brownie' guy that the Kodak/Brownie camera was named for? Or George Eastman? Maybe even earlier than that.

I like the idea of the de Guerre guy, but only because his name is a type of conflict.
 
  • #965
brewnog said:
I like the idea of the de Guerre guy, but only because his name is a type of conflict.
I know who you mean. Not him.
 
  • #966
zoobyshoe said:
I know who you mean. Not him.
Do I take this to mean that the photography part is right, and we just need a name?
 
  • #967
Danger said:
Do I take this to mean that the photography part is right, and we just need a name?
You can take it to mean it isn't that guy. That is all.
 
  • #968
Talbot? Morse?

I think I need another clue.
 
  • #969
Ooh, Archer!
 
  • #970
During the conflict, he sometimes resorted to using old window panes scavenged from destroyed houses.
 
  • #971
brewnog said:
Talbot? Morse?

brewnog said:
Ooh, Archer!
None of these.
 
  • #972
zoobyshoe said:
During the conflict, he sometimes resorted to using old window panes scavenged from destroyed houses.
I'll go back to my original train of thought then, but I don't think it's right. All that comes to mind is a war-time doctor who might have used glass for scalpels.
 
  • #973
"The conflict" was none other than "The War Of Northern Agression."
 
  • #974
zoobyshoe said:
"The conflict" was none other than "The War Of Northern Agression."
I'm out then. I've never heard that term. To me, it could mean your Civil War, or the Korean conflict, Viet Nam... anything with north and south sides.
 
  • #975
I'm out too, but you knew that. :smile:
 
  • #976
I can't find anything.
 
  • #977
"I wish that I was in the land of cotton
Old times there, are not forgotten,
Look away...
Look away...
Look away...
*****land!
 
  • #978
zoobyshoe said:
"I wish that I was in the land of cotton
Old times there, are not forgotten,
Look away...
Look away...
Look away...
*****land!
Right! Dixie Cups! I forgot that they used to be made out of glass.
 
  • #979
So far it has something to do with the Civil War or the American South (The War of Northern Aggression I've now learned is what the Southerners call the Civil War...I never knew that before having always lived north of the Mason Dixon line). I can't find anything about scavenging of window panes other than in the general sense that everything was scavenged.
 
  • #980
Moonbear said:
So far it has something to do with the Civil War
Well, my curiosity must wait. Bed time. See you tomorrow.
 
  • #981
Mathew B. Brady?
 
  • #982
Ivan Seeking said:
Mathew B. Brady?
BINGO!

Mathew Brady, the most famous photographic chronicler of the Civil War. 90% of Civil War pictures you have seen were by Brady.
 
  • #983
What was the Dixieland clue? Or was this just in reference to the Civil War?
 
  • #984
Ivan Seeking said:
What was the Dixieland clue? Or was this just in reference to the Civil War?
Yeah, that was because no one seemed to have heard of "The War of Northern Agression". Just saying "Civil War" would have been too easy.
 
  • #985
It is estimated that over 1400 anti-aircraft rounds were fired in this little known California event. After all, there was a war on!
 
  • #986
Ivan Seeking said:
It is estimated that over 1400 anti-aircraft rounds were fired in this little known California event. After all, there was a war on!
I believe you are referring to what might be called "The Battle of Los Angeles" when an air raid by the Japanese on that city was bravely repelled, despite the absense of any actual Japanese planes.

California Military History: California and World War II
Address:http://www.militarymuseum.org/HistoryWWII.html
 
  • #987
Correct!

Edit: This is an actual photo of the object that wasn't there.

http://brumac.8k.com/BATTLEOFLA/BattleofLAFig1.jpg
http://brumac.8k.com/BATTLEOFLA/BattleofLA.html
 
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  • #988
"...mounted on a block of concrete that floated in a cylindrical, brick-enclosed trough of mercury."
 
  • #989
zoobyshoe said:
"...mounted on a block of concrete that floated in a cylindrical, brick-enclosed trough of mercury."

This sounds to me like some kind of bearing for something big and heavy. A telescope?
 
  • #990
zoobyshoe said:
"...mounted on a block of concrete that floated in a cylindrical, brick-enclosed trough of mercury."
I believe I was told about this last winter, when I was visiting folks in the Bay Area. I think it was something about the fort below the GG Bridge. Some kind of terrestrial telescope (copied that off of brew), perhaps ?
 

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