The Compuseum, a nonprofit focused on computer history and education, is working on a map that will showcase the Philadelphia region’s impressively rich computer history, writes Sarah Huffman for Technical.ly.

Philadelphia’s importance in the history of electronic computing cannot be overstated. The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was developed in 1946 at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Philly is definitely the birthplace of electronic computing,” said Jim Scherrer, the founder of the Compuseum. “So the ENIAC ushered in this dawn of the computer age, and we haven’t looked back.”

In addition to the ENIAC, the map also includes pins in Philadelphia for:

• Eckert and Mauchly Computer Corporation, the world’s first computer company
• Valley Forge for 6502 Chip, the first computer chip in the Apple Computer line
• Lansdale for Philco Transac, the fastest transistorized computer
• Paoli for Illiac IV, the biggest and most expensive computer ever made
• West Chester for Commodore, the top-selling personal computer brand of all time
• Swarthmore for Swarthmore College student Dan Kohn, the first online credit card transaction
• Wayne for SunGard Backup, the largest data backup and storage repository; among others

The map, which is still a work in progress, debuted on World Computer Day in February.

Read more about the map that will showcase the Philadelphia region’s rich computer history in Technical.ly.

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