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     The Standards Electronic Automatic Computer (SEAC) was the first programmable computer in the United States. The development of SEAC was a cooperative project between the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) team of computer engineers and world-class mathematicians. SEAC came into service in 1950.

     Russell A. Kirsch and three of his fellow engineers who worked on the SEAC project describe the excitement and challenges of those early days of the Computer Age. Click on the links below to hear the story of the first programmable computer in the United States!

** The following video segments are also available as streaming video at the following location: video.google.com
         Video segment Viewing time
  Introduction - Russell A. Kirsch
-> Download Clip		 :33
  Was SEAC the first computer?
-> Download Clip		 2:17
  Who were the members of the team?
-> Download Clip		 1:15
  Why was SEAC built?
-> Download Clip		 3:32
  Amazing SEAC applications
-> Download Clip		 9:31
  Data input / output | 'special' supplies
-> Download Clip		 2:48
  SEAC components
-> Download Clip		 10:23
  SEAC memory
-> Download Clip		 11:26
  Mathematicians and the SEAC
-> Download Clip		 4:33
  What influences did SEAC have on government, industry and academic computing?
-> Download Clip		 4:54
SEAC Image Gallery
NIST is an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department's Technology Administration
Created 7/05/2003
Updated 4/20/2006
Website technical contact: Technical staff
National Institute of Standards & Technology webpage The Standards Electronic Automatic Computer website. Image is of the original SEAC computer with two computer operators seated at consoles in the foreground.