John Mauchly (1907-1980) was the visionary and co-inventor (with J.P. Eckert) of one of the first electronic computers. Though he is not well known and his career was frustrating, Mauchly essentially invented computer science and was the first computer entrepreneur.

Born on August 30, 1907, in Cincinnati, Ohio, John William Mauchly was the son of Sebastian Jacob and Rachel Elizabeth (maiden name, Schidemantel) Mauchly. Mauchly's father, a well-respected physicist who taught on the high school and college levels, did research in electricity and earth currents. The family (which included Mauchly's sister Helen Elizabeth) moved to Chevy Chase, Maryland when Sebastian Mauchly was offered a job with the Carnegie Institute of Washington, to head its Section of Terrestrial Electricity.

Mauchly was interested in science and engineering from an early age. He enjoyed putting things together and taking them apart, and hoped to pursue a career in engineering. In 1925, Mauchly was...