The contribution of M H A Newman and his mathematicians to the creation of the Manchester ‘Baby’

Abstract

In this article I offer a challenge to the usual account of the development of the Manchester Baby. In doing so, I focus on the contribution made to the project by the topologist Max Newman and other members of the Manchester Department of Mathematics. Based on a re-examination of the primary source material, I suggest that a much more significant role was played by mathematicians than is allowed for in the dominant discourse. I argue that there was a single computer-building project at Manchester in the years immediately following World War II which was conceived, led, funded, supplied and staffed by Newman supported by his long-time friend Patrick Blackett.

Acknowledgements

I wish to express particular gratitude to Donald Michie without whose patient encouragement and forensic scrutiny this article would never have been written. I also thank (in alphabetical order) Clara Anderson, Chris Burton, Martin Campbell-Kelly, Mary Croarken, Janet Delve, J V Field, Jack Good, Jonathan Harrison, Harry Huskey, Simon Lavington, J A N Lee, Ross MacFarlane, Brian Napper, William Newman, Jeff Paris, James Peters, Hans Pufal, Brian Randell, and Doron Swade.

Notes

¹Mike Mahoney (1988, 115) follows George Daniels (1970) in identifying this as one of the ‘big questions’ in the History of Technology.

²I am indebted to Professor S H Lavington for bringing this to my attention.

³Newman made no explicit provision for spare parts, or the cost of components during the first year presumably because either he did not anticipate any hardware being developed so quickly or because he expected this to be covered out of the capital budget. No provision was made for infrastructure but since the costs involved would have been very small this is neither surprising nor very significant.