Computers & Business Machines

Apple II Personal Computer

Imagine the loss, 100 years from now, if museums hadn't begun preserving the artifacts of the computer age. The last few decades offer proof positive of why museums must collect continuously—to document technological and social transformations already underway.

The museum's collections contain mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers, and handheld devices. Computers range from the pioneering ENIAC to microcomputers like the Altair and the Apple I. A Cray2 supercomputer is part of the collections, along with one of the towers of IBM's Deep Blue, the computer that defeated reigning champion Garry Kasparov in a chess match in 1997. Computer components and peripherals, games, software, manuals, and other documents are part of the collections. Some of the instruments of business include adding machines, calculators, typewriters, dictating machines, fax machines, cash registers, and photocopiers

Microsoft LAN Manager Lapel Pin

This rectangular lapel pin has a butterfly clutch clasp. It has a blue background, a gold border, and gold text that reads: Microsoft LAN Manager. The reverse is gold-colored metal and stamped: UNION MADE 65.
Description
This rectangular lapel pin has a butterfly clutch clasp. It has a blue background, a gold border, and gold text that reads: Microsoft LAN Manager. The reverse is gold-colored metal and stamped: UNION MADE 65. The clasp is gold-colored metal.
Compare 2009.3071.704.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2009.3071.705
catalog number
2009.3071.705
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Tandon Lapel Pin

This lapel pin is in the shape of the continental United States and has a butterfly clutch clasp.The yellow background is outlined in black.
Description
This lapel pin is in the shape of the continental United States and has a butterfly clutch clasp.The yellow background is outlined in black. Red text reads "Tandon" is above black text that reads "Working Together..." The reverse is of silver-colored metal and reads "CDX 11/89" in black permanent ink. The clasp is dark gold-colored metal.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1989
ID Number
2009.3071.709
catalog number
2009.3071.709
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Button, Aldus Design Team

This square button has white and yellow text on a blue background that reads: Aldus Design Team. It has yellow and red designs on background and in the word “design”.Currently not on view
Description
This square button has white and yellow text on a blue background that reads: Aldus Design Team. It has yellow and red designs on background and in the word “design”.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1990
ID Number
2009.3071.493
catalog number
2009.3071.493
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Futuresoft Button, I Faxed My Congressman

This circular button has black text on an American flag background that reads: I FAXED my Congressman. At the bottom in black is the Futuresoft logo. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: Comdex Spring 5/93.Currently not on view
Description
This circular button has black text on an American flag background that reads: I FAXED my Congressman. At the bottom in black is the Futuresoft logo. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: Comdex Spring 5/93.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1993
ID Number
2009.3071.494
catalog number
2009.3071.494
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Alacrity Button, Do It On Your Desktop

This circular button has green text on a white background that reads: DO It On Your Desktop (Five Ways!). The 'O' in "DO" is the ALACRITy logo. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: Comdex L.V. 11/92.Currently not on view
Description
This circular button has green text on a white background that reads: DO It On Your Desktop (Five Ways!). The 'O' in "DO" is the ALACRITy logo. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: Comdex L.V. 11/92.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1992
ID Number
2009.3071.413
catalog number
2009.3071.413
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Teal LC811 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This handheld electronic calculator has a metal case with plastic trim and an array of twenty-three rectangular plastic keys with rounded corners.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a metal case with plastic trim and an array of twenty-three rectangular plastic keys with rounded corners. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a change sign key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, a percentage key, a clear key, a clear entry key, and three memory keys. To the left in the top row of keys is an on/off switch. Behind this is an eight-digit liquid crystal display. Text above this reads: TEAL LC811.
The back edge of the calculator has the cover for a compartment that would hold two silver oxide batteries.
A sticker on the back of the calculator reads in part: TEAL LC811 (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR. It also reads in part: SERIAL NO. 153744 (/) TEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. TORRANCE, CALIF. 90502 (/) MADE IN JAPAN.
The calculator has a black plastic sleeve that serves as a carrying case, and a leaflet with instructions.
TEAL calculators were made in Japan by Tokyo Electronic Application Laboratory Ltd.
References:
[Advertisement], Washington Post, July 4, 1977, p. A8. Teal LC811 regularly costs $24.95, on sale for $19.95.
Teal Industries, Inc., Operating Instructions TEAL LC811 Super Thin Electronic Calculator, Torrance, CA (no date).
In 1978 Teal would introduce its Photon solar calculator, which had not only a liquid crystal display but was solar powered. See [Advertisement], Popular Science, vol. 213, #2, August 1978, p. 171.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1977
distributor
Teal Industries
maker
Tokyo Electronic Application Laboratory Ltd.
ID Number
1987.0435.26
accession number
1987.0435
catalog number
1987.0435.26

Mainframe Computer Model, IBM 1401

This is a wooden plexiglass and paper model of an IBM 1401 computer system. Model pieces include:1. The IBM 1401 central processing unit with control panel.2. A disc storage unit.3. Dual IBM 729 magnetic tape unit (two tape drives - possibly two units)4.
Description
This is a wooden plexiglass and paper model of an IBM 1401 computer system. Model pieces include:
1. The IBM 1401 central processing unit with control panel.
2. A disc storage unit.
3. Dual IBM 729 magnetic tape unit (two tape drives - possibly two units)
4. A shorter IBM 7330 magnetic tape unit with one tape drive
5. A yet shorter tape unit (for paper tape? might be IBM 1101)
6. IBM 1406 added memory
7. an IBM 1402 card read-punch
8. an IBM 1403 printer with paper.
Dimensions given are for system arranged compactly.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1959
maker
IBM
ID Number
2013.0129.01
accession number
2013.0129
catalog number
2013.0129.01

Microsoft Button, Experience It!

This square button has white and purple text on a yellow background that reads: Microsoft Windows Computing. Experience It! Applications Networking Systems Support. It has the Microsoft Windows logo with an image of a hand reaching towards it.
Description
This square button has white and purple text on a yellow background that reads: Microsoft Windows Computing. Experience It! Applications Networking Systems Support. It has the Microsoft Windows logo with an image of a hand reaching towards it. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads:Spring Comdex '91.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1991
maker
Microsoft Corporation
ID Number
2009.3071.272
catalog number
2009.3071.272
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Software, Advertisement for Rent-A-Computer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2012.3098.116
catalog number
2012.3098.116
nonaccession number
2012.3098

GigaRak Morton Management Button, I've Got Your Number?

This circular button has blue text on a white background that reads: I've Got Your Number? In black text are the numbers 2326. At the bottom of the button is the Morton Management logo.
Description
This circular button has blue text on a white background that reads: I've Got Your Number? In black text are the numbers 2326. At the bottom of the button is the Morton Management logo. The attached blue ribbon has an image of an old computer and white text that reads: GigaRak Morton Management. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: Networld 2/90.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1989
c 1990
ID Number
2009.3071.491
catalog number
2009.3071.491
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Unisonic 1040-AT Handheld Electronic Calculator

Electronic calculators were frequently advertised in March and April as aids to Americans computing personal income taxes. Federal taxes on personal income had been legalized in the United States by the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment to the US Constitution in 1913.
Description
Electronic calculators were frequently advertised in March and April as aids to Americans computing personal income taxes. Federal taxes on personal income had been legalized in the United States by the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment to the US Constitution in 1913. A form for calculating these taxes known as the 1040 was introduced soon thereafter, and was widely known by American workers by the 1970s. Hence the name of this calculator.
This handheld electronic calculator has a metal and plastic case with an array of twenty-six rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, four memory keys, a square root key, a percentage key, a change sign key, an exchange key, a clear key, and a clear entry key. The keys are the same as those on the Unisonic 1040, although they are arranged slightly differently. Right of the top two keys is an on/off switch. A mark above this reads: Unisonic 1040. Behind this is an eight-digit green fluorescent display.
A power jack is along the back edge.
A sticker on the back gives calculation examples. A mark on it reads: 1040-AT. Another mark reads: SERIAL NO. (/) 353519 (/) MADE IN JAPAN. Below this is a compartment for four AAA batteries.
Compare five examples of the Unisonic 1040: 1986.0988.110 (the 1040), 1986.0988.291 (the 1040-1), 1986.0988.292 (the 1040-AT), 1986.0988.109 (the 1040-C), and 1986.0988.108 (the 1040-C). The keys are not identical.
References:
For a timeline of historical events relating to personal income taxes, see the website of the Internal Revenue Service at www.irs.gov.
[Advertisement], Morning Herald [from Hagerstown, Maryland], November 28, 1975, p. 49. Selling Unisonic 1040 for $22.96.
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, September 1, 1977; p. I2. Unisonic 1040 selling for $10.96, regularly $13.96.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1975
maker
Unisonic
ID Number
1986.0988.292
catalog number
1986.0988.292
accession number
1986.0988

The Brown Box Lightgun, 1967–68

This toy gun proves that target-shooting games were part of video game history from the very beginning.This lightgun was used to play the Target Practice game on the “Brown Box,” a prototype for the first multiplayer, multiprogram video game system.
Description
This toy gun proves that target-shooting games were part of video game history from the very beginning.
This lightgun was used to play the Target Practice game on the “Brown Box,” a prototype for the first multiplayer, multiprogram video game system. Magnavox licensed the Brown Box and released the system as the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972. The lightgun and four target games were later sold as a separate expansion package.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1967-1968
patent holder
Baer, Ralph H.
inventor
Baer, Ralph H.
ID Number
2006.0102.06
catalog number
2006.0102.06
accession number
2006.0102

National Semiconductor 836 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This handheld electronic calculator has a tan and black plastic case and twenty-five rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, and four memory keys.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a tan and black plastic case and twenty-five rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, and four memory keys. The top row of keys has an off key, an on key, a clear entry/clear key, a square root key, and a % key. Behind the keyboard is a gray LCD display. A label at the back reads: NSC National Semiconductor (/) 836.
A mark molded into the back of the case reads: ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) RATING: DC 3V (/) USE PENLIGHT BATTERY 1.5V x2. Another mark there reads: MADE IN TAIWAN.
Pushing down a lever on the back edge of the calculator allows one to open the case to change the batteries (the object presently has no batteries). A sticker on the circuit board reads: PASSED 46. There is no provision for a recharger or power adapter.
No advertisements found.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1980s
maker
National Semiconductor Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.233
catalog number
1986.0988.233
accession number
1986.0988

Xerox Button, Ask me about AccuText

This circular button has black text on yellow background that reads: Ask me about AccuText. Xerox imaging Systems, Inc. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: MacWorld Boston 8/90.Currently not on view
Description
This circular button has black text on yellow background that reads: Ask me about AccuText. Xerox imaging Systems, Inc. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: MacWorld Boston 8/90.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1990
ID Number
2009.3071.499
catalog number
2009.3071.499
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Hewlett-Packard 32SII Handheld Electronic Calculator

This handheld programmable scientific calculator has an array of thirty-five plastic keys. Most of them can take on four different meanings.
Description
This handheld programmable scientific calculator has an array of thirty-five plastic keys. Most of them can take on four different meanings. One is indicated in white atop the key, one (often a letter) in white to the lower right of the key on the keyboard, one in orange to the upper left of the key on the keyboard and one in blue on the upper right of the key on the keyboard. The functions of the calculator are described in detail in the accompanying manual.
The LCD display behind the keyboard. Results were calculated to twelve-digit precision and displayed either as common numbers or in scientific notation.
Marks above the display read: 32SII and: RPN SCIENTIFIC. A mark above this reads: hp (/) HEWLETT (/) PACKARD.
A compartment at the top of the back holds three button cell batteries. A mark below it reads: SINGAPORE 3406S89420 (/) CE 91 [copyright symbol] HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY 1987. The serial number indicates a date of manufacture of February (sixth week) of 1994 (thirty-four years from 1960). A note on the title page of the manual indicates that that the object was purchased October 13, 1994, for $62.95 (including shipping). According to Mier-Jedrezejowicz, the HP-32SII was introduced in 1991 and still in production at least as late as 1995.
Accompanying the calculator is HP32SII RPN Scientific Calculator Owner’s Manual. This is an example of the fourth edition, published in 1993.
The calculator has a black plastic sleeve. A mark on it reads: hp.
This example of the calculator was owned by Tom Simkin, Curator of Volcanology in the Department of Mineral Sciences at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
References:
Accession file.
W.A.C. Mier-Jedrzejowicz, A Guide to HP Handheld Calculators and Computers , Tustin, California: Wilson/Burnett Publishing, 1997, pp. 89–90, 95–96, 133.
Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1994
maker
Hewlett-Packard Company
ID Number
2014.0260.02
accession number
2014.0260
catalog number
2014.0260.02

Corona No. 3 Typewriter

This is a Corona Three folding typewriter that was manufactured by Corona Typewriter Company of Groton, New York around 1920. The Corona Three was an extremely popular typewriter, produced from 1912 until 1941. This model has serial number 394384, dating it to 1920.
Description
This is a Corona Three folding typewriter that was manufactured by Corona Typewriter Company of Groton, New York around 1920. The Corona Three was an extremely popular typewriter, produced from 1912 until 1941. This model has serial number 394384, dating it to 1920. This typewriter’s platen and carriage can fold down to rest on the keyboard, allowing it to become compact and portable.
The success of the Standard Typewriter Company’s Corona Three model typewriter prompted the company to change its name to the Corona Typewriting Company in 1914. In 1926 the company joined with the L. C. Smith & Brothers Typewriting company in to become Smith-Corona. Smith-Corona manufactured typewriters and typewriter accessories throughout the 20th century, becoming Smith Corona Marchant in 1958. After two bankruptcies, Smith Corona returned to operation in 2010 as a thermal paper manufacturing company.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920 - 1929
maker
L. C. Smith & Corona Typewriters Inc.
ID Number
ME.326636
catalog number
326636
accession number
261574
serial number
394384

Engineering Drawing, Arm-Load

This is one of nine engineering drawings for the Shugart Associates SA400 disk drive received with an example of the disk drive, 1982.0385.01.Currently not on view
Description
This is one of nine engineering drawings for the Shugart Associates SA400 disk drive received with an example of the disk drive, 1982.0385.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Shugart Associates
ID Number
1982.0385.07
catalog number
1982.0385.07
accession number
1982.0385

Button, Collaborative workgroups do it in real-time! The Virtual Notebook System

This circular button has white text on a blue background that reads: Collaborative workgroups do it in real time! The Virtual Notebook System. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: Groupware '93 San Jose 8/10/93.Currently not on view
Description
This circular button has white text on a blue background that reads: Collaborative workgroups do it in real time! The Virtual Notebook System. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: Groupware '93 San Jose 8/10/93.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1993
ID Number
2009.3071.333
catalog number
2009.3071.333
nonaccession number
2009.3071

ZD Classified Advertising Group Button, I'm A Savvy Marketer!

This circular button has a white background on which is a black and white image of a man on the telephone. Red text reads: "I'm A Savvy Marketer!". A blue and yellow "ZD Classified Advertising Group" logo is at the bottom.
Description
This circular button has a white background on which is a black and white image of a man on the telephone. Red text reads: "I'm A Savvy Marketer!". A blue and yellow "ZD Classified Advertising Group" logo is at the bottom. The reverse reads "Spring Comdex '91" in red permanent ink.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1991
ID Number
2009.3071.654
catalog number
2009.3071.654
nonaccession number
2009.3071

HP Button, COMDEX 1992

This square button is designed in style of Piet Mondrian, with squares and rectangles of varying sizes in white, black, yellow, blue and red. A large red section in the lower right-hand corner has black text that reads: COMDEX .
Description
This square button is designed in style of Piet Mondrian, with squares and rectangles of varying sizes in white, black, yellow, blue and red. A large red section in the lower right-hand corner has black text that reads: COMDEX . A yellow rectangle set within the red section with black text reads: CHICAGO.A white rectangle within a red section with black text reads vertically: 1992. A white rectangle in the upper right-hand corner with blue a HP logo and black text reads: HEWLETT PACKARD. A blue rectangle with white text reads vertically: POWERFUL. A white rectangle with black text reads: RELIABLE. A yellow rectangle with black text reads vertically: Friendly. A red section with black text reads curved: INNOVATIVE. White text on alternating blue and black rectangles reads: HP AND ME. A mark on the reverse reads "CDX 4/92" in green ink.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1992
maker
Hewlett-Packard Company
ID Number
2009.3071.634
catalog number
2009.3071.634
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Nantucket Button, McMax

This circular button has black text on a white background that reads: McMax. The word McMax has a blue underline mark below it. It has a black Nantucket logo.Currently not on view
Description
This circular button has black text on a white background that reads: McMax. The word McMax has a blue underline mark below it. It has a black Nantucket logo.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1989
ID Number
2009.3071.246
catalog number
2009.3071.246
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Sharp EL-8152 A Elsi-Mate Handheld Electronic Calculator

In the second half of the 1970s, taking advantage of the introduction of liquid crystal displays, manufacturers of handheld electronic calculators designed and built ever-thinner products. In this Sharp calculator the usual keys have been replaced by a single thin membrane.
Description
In the second half of the 1970s, taking advantage of the introduction of liquid crystal displays, manufacturers of handheld electronic calculators designed and built ever-thinner products. In this Sharp calculator the usual keys have been replaced by a single thin membrane. This reduces the thickness of the calculator itself to about .16 cm (less than 1/8”). Pushing numbers on such a calculator produces no tactile sensation. To give users a sense that they indeed had entered information, the calculator could be set so that a tone sounded whenever a digit or function was entered. Pushing the section of the membrane with a musical note on it (called the sensor key) activated this part of the calculator.
The calculator has a total of twenty-six “keys” In addition to the sensor key, these include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, and three memory keys. Behind these are a % key, and a clear entry key, as well as a STR key for storing a number in the memory and a COMP key for computing conversions by multiplying the stored value by the number shown on the display. Behind these are keys for off and for on/clear. Text next to these last two keys reads: ELSI MATE (/) EL-8152 (/) STORAGE COMPUTER. Behind this is the eight-digit LCD display. Text behind this reads: SHARP.
Text on the back of the calculator reads: SHARP (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) EL-8152. It also reads: SHARP CORPORATION MADE IN JAPAN BM. The most recent U.S. patent number listed is 3976994, a patent issued in 1976 and assigned to Sharp. A label below this reads: 07004741. The calculator ran on two squat cylindrical silver oxide batteries.
The calculator has a dark blue cloth carrying case. Text on the front of it reads: SHARP. This case, in turn, fits into a cardboard box with a small pamphlet. The cover of the manual reads: SHARP COMPET ELSI MATE (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) EL-8152 (/) INSTRUCTION MANUAL. Also included loose in the manual is a warning not to carry the calculator in a back pocket. The sleeve for the box reads: SHARP (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) EL-8152 A.
An example of the Sharp EL-8152 was shown in a 1994 exhibition on modern Japanese design, held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Sharp membrane calculators in the collections include 1997.0032.01 (Sharp EL-8152 or EL-8152A), 1987.0435.13 (Sharp EL-8130A), and 1986.0988.316 (Sharp EL-8145).
References:
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, December 23, 1979, p. B1. Calculator advertised (EL-8152) said to be 1/16” thick, selling for $39.95.
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, May 1, 1980, p. 17. This advertisement lists the Sharp EL-8152 calculator (not the EL-8152 A) as on sale for $32.97.
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, September 4, 1980, p. B13. Sharp EL-8152 (not EL-8152 A) advertised as on sale for $39.99.
Kathryn B. Hiesinger and Felice Fischer, Japanese Design: A Survey Since 1950, Philadelphia; Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1994, p. 123.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1979-1980
maker
Sharp Corporation
ID Number
1997.0032.01
catalog number
1997.0032.01
accession number
1997.0032

IBM Electromatic Typewriter

This Electromatic brand typewriter was manufactured by the International Business Machines Corporation beginning in 1935. The Electromatic typewriter was first manufactured in 1924 by the North East Electric Company.
Description
This Electromatic brand typewriter was manufactured by the International Business Machines Corporation beginning in 1935. The Electromatic typewriter was first manufactured in 1924 by the North East Electric Company. The North East Electric Company produced the motor and base, and used a Remington model 12 as the typewriter. The North East Electric Company became the Electromatic Typewriter Company before being purchased by IBM in 1933. In 1935 IBM produced the Electromatic Model 01 for the first time. The Electromatic operated with a motor controlling all aspects of typing, from the type bar to the carriage returns, allowing the user to operate the typewriter without their fingers ever leaving the keyboard.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940
ID Number
1987.0544.01
catalog number
1987.0544.01
accession number
1987.0544

Computer Button, What is RUI?

This circular button has red text on a white background that reads: What is RUI ? Find Out At Booth # 2046. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: PC EXPO '90.Currently not on view
Description
This circular button has red text on a white background that reads: What is RUI ? Find Out At Booth # 2046. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: PC EXPO '90.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1990
ID Number
2009.3071.237
catalog number
2009.3071.237
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.