Challenge readers know about counting people, including Dolores Triantafillou in Carrboro who knew the answer to last week's Challenge: "What was one of the primary uses of the first mainframe-type computer (a UNIVAC 1105) installed on the Carolina campus in 1959?"

As Triantafillou replied, "The 19 ton UNIVAC 1105 computer was installed in Phillips Hall in August of 1959 and its first task was to assist in tabulating the 1960 census. It's hard to believe that was 59 years ago and what a difference has occurred in computer technology since then!"

According to Electronic Design, April 13, 1960, p.8, "Four Remington Rand Univac 1105 computers will be used in tabulating the data for the 1960 U.S. census. The machines replace Univac I, used in the 1950 census. The 1105 is a large-scale, random-access computer with a magnetic drum storage. Its access times are put at 34 msec maximum and 17 msec average. The magnetic-tape storage includes up to 20 uni-servo tape-handling units. The non-volatile magnetic core storage consists of 36 magnetic core matrices. Storage capacity is said to be 12,288 36-bit words. According to Remington Rand, any word is available in 8 µsec .... Two of the machines are installed at the Bureau of Census Headquarters at Suitland, Md., and the other two are at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in the Armour Research Laboratories of the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago."

According to www.wikipedia.com, "The UNIVAC 1105 was a follow-on computer to the UNIVAC 1103A introduced by Sperry Rand in September 1958. The UNIVAC 1105 had either 8,192 or 12,288 words of 36 bit magnetic core memory, in two or three banks of 4,096 words each. Magnetic drum memory provided either 16,384 or 32,768 words, in one or two drums with 16,384 words each. Sixteen to twenty four UNISERVO II tape drives were connected, with a maximum capacity (not counting block overhead) of 1,200,000 words per tape."

And yes, the above info will be on the test....!

A pair of tickets to the Lumina Theaters is on the way to Triantafillou.

Now it's time to reveal next week's Challenge. Here's how it works. Every week we'll pose a trivia question that has something to do with our community or North Carolina. The question might be about something that happened 20 years ago or someone who made the news just yesterday.

If you think you know the answer, send e-mail to chquiz@aol.com, or mail it on a postcard to Chapel Hill Challenge, The Chapel Hill Herald, 2828 Pickett Road, Durham, NC 27705. You also can send us a fax at (919) 419-6889. Make sure you include your name, address and phone number. Answers must be received by Thursday of the same week. Employees of the Durham Herald Co. are not eligible for the Challenge.

Each week there will be a drawing from all the correct answers. The winner will receive a pair of movie passes donated by the Lumina Theater in Southern Village. (Note: Passes may not be valid for certain shows.)

Ready to give it a try? Then dust off your old school books while pondering the following: "On January 20th, 1840, the first free, public school in North Carolina opened in what county?"

Good luck!