Vannevar Bush

Extracted Attributes

Vannevar Bush

Vannevar Bush ( van-NEE-var; March 11, 1890 – June 28, 1974) was an American engineer, inventor and science administrator, who during World War II headed the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), through which almost all wartime military R&D was carried out, including important developments in radar and the initiation and early administration of the Manhattan Project. He emphasized the importance of scientific research to national security and economic well-being, and was chiefly responsible for the movement that led to the creation of the National Science Foundation. Bush joined the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1919, and founded the company that became Raytheon in 1922. Bush became vice president of MIT and dean of the MIT School of Engineering in 1932, and president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington in 1938. During his career, Bush patented a string of his own inventions. He is known particularly for his engineering work on analog computers, and for the memex. Starting in 1927, Bush constructed a differential analyzer, a mechanical analog computer with some digital components that could solve differential equations with as many as 18 independent variables. An offshoot of the work at MIT by Bush and others was the beginning of digital circuit design theory. The memex, which he began developing in the 1930s (heavily influenced by Emanuel Goldberg's "Statistical Machine" from 1928) was a hypothetical adjustable microfilm viewer with a structure analogous to that of hypertext. The memex and Bush's 1945 essay "As We May Think" influenced generations of computer scientists, who drew inspiration from his vision of the future. Bush was appointed to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1938, and soon became its chairman. As chairman of the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC), and later director of OSRD, Bush coordinated the activities of some six thousand leading American scientists in the application of science to warfare. Bush was a well-known policymaker and public intellectual during World War II, when he was in effect the first presidential science advisor. As head of NDRC and OSRD, he initiated the Manhattan Project, and ensured that it received top priority from the highest levels of government. In Science, The Endless Frontier, his 1945 report to the president of the United States, Bush called for an expansion of government support for science, and he pressed for the creation of the National Science Foundation.

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• Vannevar Bush

  Vannevar_BushVannevar Bush (March 11, 1890 – June 28, 1974; was an American engineer and science administrator known for his work on analog computing, his role in the development of the atomic bomb as a primary organizer of the Manhattan Project, and the idea of the memex, a method to organize and retrieve data. As Director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, Bush coordinated the activities of some six thousand leading American scientists in the application of science to warfare. [...] Bush was a well-known policymaker and public intellectual during World War II and the ensuing Cold War, and was in effect the first presidential science advisor. Bush was a proponent of democratic technocracy and of the centrality of technological innovation and entrepreneurship for both economic and geopolitical security. Bush was educated at Tufts College, graduating in 1913. He then worked at General Electric, taught mathematics at Jackson College, then received a doctorate in engineering from MIT and Harvard University, jointly, in 1917.

• Vannevar Bush | American Engineer, Scientist & Inventor | Britannica

  Vannevar Bush was a prominent American electrical engineer known for his pioneering work in analog computing. He co-developed the Differential Analyzer, an electromechanical device used to solve differential equations, which was a significant advancement in computing technology during the early to mid-20th century. Bush also played a crucial role in organizing government-funded scientific research during World War II, leading the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD). His vision extended to proposing a National Research Foundation to support postwar scientific endeavors. [...] # Vannevar Bush Britannica AI Icon Vannevar Bush was an American electrical engineer and administrator, born in 1890. He was instrumental in developing the Differential Analyzer, an early analog computer. Bush also played a crucial role in organizing government-funded scientific research during World War II through the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD). He envisioned a future where technology could enhance information access, famously proposing the concept of the "Memex," a precursor to hypertext and the World Wide Web. Bush passed away in 1974. [...] Vannevar Bush, an American electrical engineer, played a crucial role in mobilizing scientific research for the United States during World War II. He chaired the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), which coordinated research efforts and served as a liaison among the Allies. Under his leadership, the OSRD facilitated the development of vital technologies such as radar and contributed to the Manhattan Project, the initiative that developed the atomic bomb. Bush's organizational skills were instrumental in directing scientific endeavors that significantly impacted the war effort.

• Vannevar Bush | History | Research Starters | EBSCO Research

  " name="description">" property="og:description">" name="twitter:description"> RESEARCH STARTER # Vannevar Bush Vannevar Bush was an influential American scientific researcher and electrical engineer, renowned for his contributions to analog computing and information retrieval. Born on March 11, 1890, in Massachusetts, he excelled in mathematics and earned multiple degrees in engineering from Tufts College, Harvard, and MIT. Bush served in prominent roles, such as dean of engineering at MIT and director of the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development during World War II, where he played a key role in advancing military technology and fostering collaboration between science and government. [...] American scientific researcher and electrical engineer Vannevar Bush is known for his pioneering work in the fields of analog computing, automated human memory, and information storage and retrieval. Bush served as dean of engineering and vice president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), president of the Carnegie Institution, and director of the U.S. government's Office of Scientific Research and Development during his lengthy career. He is known for his foresight in predicting the commercial and personal household uses of electronic devices. Bush's differential analyzer was one of the most powerful analog computers. During World War II, he emerged as a leading force behind the mobilization of the partnership between the government, scientific, and business communities, [...] American scientific researcher and electrical engineer Vannevar Bush is known for his pioneering work in the fields of analog computing, automated human memory, and information storage and retrieval. Bush served as dean of engineering and vice president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), president of the Carnegie Institution, and director of the U.S. government's Office of Scientific Research and Development during his lengthy career. He is known for his foresight in predicting the commercial and personal household uses of electronic devices. Bush's differential analyzer was one of the most powerful analog computers. During World War II, he emerged as a leading force behind the mobilization of the partnership between the government, scientific, and business communities,

• Vannevar Bush with his differential analyzer

  Vannevar Bush was a prominent American engineer, inventor, and science administrator who made significant contributions to the fields of analog

• Vannevar Bush | Lemelson

  # Vannevar Bush The Memex Energy and Environment Vannevar Bush, the inventor credited with the principles underlying modern hypertext research, was born on March 11, 1890 in Everett, Massachusetts. He was a headstrong child who showed an early aptitude for math. After graduating high school, he enrolled at Tufts University in Massachusetts to study engineering. While he was there, he came up with his first invention, a land surveying device he called a “profile tracer.” The device resembled a lawnmower and as it was pushed over land, it automatically calculated elevations and drew a crude map. The machine never caught on commercially, but it did teach Bush that in order for an invention to become successful, the inventor had to be somewhat of a politician as well.

• Award

  Legion of Honour

• Image

  

• Gender

  male

• Educated At

  Harvard University

• Instance Of

  Q5

• Occupation

  engineer

• Citizenship

  United States

• Date Of Birth

  3/11/1890

• Date Of Death

  6/28/1974

• Notable Work

  Memex

• Place Of Birth

  Everett

• Place Of Death

  Belmont