The 20th century has been one of unparalleled scientific advances fuelled primarily by discoveries made by physicists. The 20th century also represents the life span of the American Physical Society (APS), and to celebrate its centenary the APS has prepared this book highlighting the seminal discoveries, with invited articles by some of the world's most eminent living physicists, including 12 Nobel Prize winners. The articles are mainly perspectives on discoveries written by those scientists closely associated with the original work, as well as covering future directions of research.

In 1942, Lt. Herman H. Goldstine, a former mathematics professor, was stationed at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. It was there that he assisted in the creation of the ENIAC, the first electronic digital computer. The ENIAC was operational in 1945, but plans for a new computer were already underway. The principal source of ideas for the new computer was John von Neumann, who became Goldstine's chief collaborator. Together they developed EDVAC, successor to ENIAC. After World War II, at the Institute for Advanced Study, they built what was to become the prototype of the present-day computer. Herman Goldstine writes as both historian and scientist in this first examination of the development of computing machinery, from the seventeenth century through the early 1950s. His personal involvement lends a special authenticity to his narrative, as he sprinkles anecdotes and stories liberally through his text.</p>