HISTORY: Federal Computer Use

This timeline documents the federal government's dramatic expansion of computer usage from 1946 to 1993, showing growth from a single ENIAC to millions of computers, while noting that early FOIA legislation failed to anticipate the importance of digital information.

1946 Congress passes Administrative Procedure Act- forerunner to FOIA. First computer (ENIAC) goes into operation.

1955 Congress begins hearings on what will become the FOIA. Federal government owns 45 computers, all first-generation mainframes.

1966 Congress passes Freedom of Information Act. Law doesn't mention computers because they didn't seem important enough to include. Federal government owned about 3,000 computers (roughly one computer for every 1,000 federal workers.)

1974 Congress strengthens the FOIA, "gives it teeth." Law still doesn't mention computers. Computers mentioned, as an aside, in the Senate report on the law. Federal government owns about 15,000 computers.

1981 IBM introduces the PC. Federal government owns 17,723 computers. Mostly mainframes; some minicomputers.

1990 Federal government purchases 1 millionth computer. Purchases of mainframes and minicomputers decline dramatically; PC purchases increase.

1993 Federal government purchases 2 millionth personal computer. Total still increasing rapidly. Federal government will spend $25 billion this year alone for computer hardware, software, equipment, etc.

(Statistics compiled by Prof. David H. Morrissey, Department of Technical Journalism, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo. Sources from various federal agencies, including: U.S. Bureau of Standards; U.S. Bureau of the Census; General Services Administration, and the Office of Technology Assessment.)