The 1945 First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC, which set out the stored-program computer design, circulated under John von Neumann's name alone although it drew on work by J. Presper Eckert, John Mauchly and others.

Is it true that the 1945 First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC, which set out the stored-program computer design, circulated under John von Neumann's name alone although it drew on work by J. Presper Eckert, John Mauchly and others?

Yes. A Wikipedia reference states the 1945 First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC contained the first published description of the stored-program design and that von Neumann's failure to name Eckert and Mauchly led credit to be attributed to him alone. A peer-reviewed history adds that the report was written by von Neumann on behalf of the Moore School group and grew out of his 1944 discussions with Eckert, Mauchly and others.

Verdict: SUPPORTED · 6 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 2 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC - Wikipedia. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Draft_of_a_Report_on_the_EDVAC

Defining Relationships Among Computers, People, and Information. (2021). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70373-8_5

ACE. (2017). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198747826.003.0030

Eniac in Action. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262033985.001.0001

EDVAC and Its Codes. (2018). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91671-2_3

Temps et activité selon Unix. (2017). hal.science. https://doi.org/10.3917/res.206.0125