[a3n]

Except they're not unrelated. Von Neumann needed more computing power than he had available, for studying bomb blasts. Not only did he and colleagues largely create digital computers, but he marshaled the resources of the US government and academia to get it done.

Dyson's Turing's Cathedral is a fascinating account of the development of digital computers. The early ones were amazingly physical, using wave propagation delays in liquid mercury, and repeatedly painting rows of oscilloscope screens, as storage.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=turing%27s%20cathedral

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_tube

EDIT: s/Turning/Turing/

[Cyph0n]

Wow. Really cool stuff. I'll be sure to check out the book then.