The Swing Shift Shuffle is a radio program of swing, big band, jazz, boogie woogie and other popular music from the 1930's and 40's that airs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (US Central Time) on WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, Tennessee, with a live webcast at wevl.org. In addition to the radio show, this blog is dedicated to all aspects of the Swing Era, including art, automobiles, cartoons, comics, history, movies, music, news, science, technology, and anything else that happened during that time. It also includes announcements about events in the Memphis/Mid-South area related to the Swing Era, such as classic movies, concerts, dances, lectures, etc. If you see something that fits the description, send it to me at tim@wevl.org. If you would like more information about the radio show, just go to the Radio Show FAQ page.

Friday, March 11, 2011

The Female Computers of World War II

Everyone knows that during World War II, women took over many jobs performed by men so the men could serve in the military.  The result?  "Rosie the Riveter" et al.  This posting on Boing Boing, however, reveals the women who worked as top secret human "computers" for the military, performing the complicated mathmatical calculations necessary to create ballistics tables for weapons.  Several eventually helped program the first vacuum tube computer. 


Top Secret Rosies Trailer from LeAnn Erickson on Vimeo.

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