Thanks to an iconic image, most American adults are probably familiar with Rosie the Riveter, but alongside the women who contributed their brawn to the World War II effort, the more mathematically talented females also offered their brain power. Director LeAnn Erickson refers to these women as “human computers,” a term that gained traction in the 19th century. Erickson interviews Betty Jean Jennings Bartik, Marlyn Wescoff Meltzer, and twins Doris Blumberg Polsky and Shirley Blumberg Melvin, who were recruited for a secret military program to help the Army with aerial bombing and ballistics projects. Top Secret Rosies also incorporates archival footage, readings from letters, and comments from military historians, civil service engineers, airplane pilots and bombardiers, and professors of science, history, and communications from the University of Pennsylvania, where the female mathematicians were trained. The civilian recruits wound up devising differential equations, dealing with bulky calculating machines, and programming the ENIAC—the first electronic computer—as soldiers used their calculations regarding weapons trajectories to improve accuracy. The four women uniformly express pride in their accomplishments and service to their country, as well as an awareness that they were contributing to the unfortunate losses associated with warfare. An engaging documentary on a little explored WWII topic, this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (K. Fennessy)
Top Secret Rosies: The Female Computers of WWII
(2010) 57 min. DVD: $24.99 ($44.95 w/PPR). PBS Video. ISBN: 978-1-60883-332-0. Volume 26, Issue 2
Top Secret Rosies: The Female Computers of WWII
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