Bush, Vannevar (1890-1974), was a famous United States electrical engineer and scientific research administrator. He guided much of the U.S. weapons research during World War II (1939-1945) as the director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD). Research sponsored by this agency led to such developments as the atomic bomb and improved radar systems, as well as drugs to fight malaria. Bush later played a major role in the establishment of the National Science Foundation (NSF), a chief supporter of research. The NSF was established by the U.S. government in 1950.
Bush patented a number of inventions, including the differential analyzer. The differential analyzer, which solved complicated mathematical equations, was the first reliable analog computer (see Analog computer ).
Bush was born in Everett, Massachusetts. In 1919, he joined the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 1932, he became a vice president of MIT and dean of the engineering school.
