Vannevar Bush's most important contribution to engineering was the differential analyzer, a complex but elegant mechanism capable of solving the intricate and lengthy differential equations that have become increasingly indispensable to modern engineering. During World War II, the differential analyzer was used to solve equations essential to ballistics, acoustics, structures, and atomic physics. In addition to this electronic calculating "machine," Bush published an influential essay about a hypothetical computing machine called Memex. The essay presented a theoretical prototype for the modern day personal computer and helped influence research in such areas as hypertext, multimedia, and artificial intelligence. However, Bush was best known by the public for his government appointment as director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development during World War II. Through this office, Bush coordinated a vast network of industrial and academic research geared toward wartime science, including the early work conducted on the atomic...