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

Topic: Mathematics

Postal Meter Strip Announcing a Mersenne Prime

Computing devices have long influenced the development of number theory, including the discovery of prime numbers.
Description
Computing devices have long influenced the development of number theory, including the discovery of prime numbers. This postal meter strip is an example of the imprint used by the Mathematics Department at the University of Illinois to announce the discovery there of a new Mersenne prime. This particular postal meter strip example was never used in the mail.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975
ID Number
1999.3080.02
nonaccession number
1999.3080
catalog number
1999.3080.02

Pamphlet, Functions of Univac Punched-Card Equipment

This pamphlet provides illustrated descriptions of UNIVAC punched card machines and computers. Ir is a publication of the Univac Division of Sperry Rand Corporation, with form number U-1363 Rev. 5.Currently not on view
Description
This pamphlet provides illustrated descriptions of UNIVAC punched card machines and computers. Ir is a publication of the Univac Division of Sperry Rand Corporation, with form number U-1363 Rev. 5.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1960
author
Univac Division of Sperry Rand Corporation
ID Number
1997.3012.05.01
catalog number
1997.3012.05.01
nonaccession number
1997.3012

Mouse Pad, Mathematica 5

This is part of a small collection of material collected from advertisers at the January, 2004, Joint Mathematics Meeting, a conference of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America.
Description
This is part of a small collection of material collected from advertisers at the January, 2004, Joint Mathematics Meeting, a conference of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America. The.matte hard-top mouse pad shows an orange geometric surface on a black background.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2004.3019.07
catalog number
2004.3019.07
nonaccession number
2004.3019

Brandt Automatic Cashier

By the late 19th century, many American workers were paid in cash. Putting together packets with precisely the right bills and coins was a tedious task. In the 1890s, Edward J.
Description
By the late 19th century, many American workers were paid in cash. Putting together packets with precisely the right bills and coins was a tedious task. In the 1890s, Edward J. Brandt, a cashier at the Bank of Watertown in Watertown, Wisconsin, invented a machine that could dispense change automatically.
The machine dispenses change in amounts between 1 cent and 99 cents. It has eight channels across the front, three for pennies, one for nickels, two for dimes, one for quarters and one for 50-cent pieces. Above and behind the channels is an array of 99 plastic keys, numbered from 1 to 99. Pressing another key, marked "5," releases five pennies. On the right are keys marked 10, 25, 25 and 100 that give change for these amounts. The entire coin holder can be removed from the mechanism for storage of coins. Pushing down a key moves a bar that pushes coins from a channel into a compartment with a trap door at its base. Pushing the trap door back releases change into the hand.
A mark on the front and the back of the machine reads reads: BRANDT AUTOMATIC CASHIER. A mark on a brass plate on the back of the machine reads: PATENTED (/) JULY 11, 1899. . . (/) DEC. 12, 1916 (/) 48184 93421 10014 PATENTS PENDING (/) T.M.Reg.U.S.Pat.Off. (/) Brandt Manufacturing Company (/) WATERTOWN, WISCONSIN. The serial number, marked on the right side at the front, is 22446.
Brandt’s machine received medals at the 1900 Universal Exposition in Paris and the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. This example dates from the 1920s.
References:
James H. McCarthy, The American Digest of Business Machines, Chicago, 1924, p. 196–197.
Charles J. Wallman, Edward J. Brandt, Inventor, Watertown, WI: Brandt, Inc., 1984.
Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1925
maker
Brandt Manufacturing Company
ID Number
2001.0011.01
accession number
2001.0011
catalog number
2001.0011.01

Pamphlet, Department and Specialty Store Accounting Sales Audit-Accounts Receivable - Payroll

This illustrated document describes the UNIVAC Solid State Computing System, as applied to department and specialty store accounting. It is Remington Rand Univac document U-2136.Currently not on view
Description
This illustrated document describes the UNIVAC Solid State Computing System, as applied to department and specialty store accounting. It is Remington Rand Univac document U-2136.
Location
Currently not on view
author
Remington Rand Univac. Division of Sperry Rand
ID Number
1997.3012.04.35
catalog number
1997.3012.04.35
nonaccession number
1997.3012

Library of Congress Punch Card

The late 1960s were a time of rapid change in processes for cataloging and circulating books at the U.S. Library of Congress.
Description
The late 1960s were a time of rapid change in processes for cataloging and circulating books at the U.S. Library of Congress. Computers were introduced for preparing cataloging records for libraries across the nation and for tracking and distributing books sent out on interlibrary loan. This is one card used in the process. It relates to a volume entitled Apparatus and Experiment SD Int. by Weiss, which had call number QP461 W4 1916. It was checked out on 12-22-72 to Borrower OS500. A mark on the bottom edge of the card reads: HP/ECC-1294-0.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1972
1972
date made
1972
maker
Library of Congress
ID Number
2002.3058.02
nonaccession number
2002.3058
catalog number
2002.3058.02

MacKichan Software Packet

This is part of a small collection of material collected from advertisers at the January, 2004, Joint Mathematics Meeting, a conference of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America.
Description
This is part of a small collection of material collected from advertisers at the January, 2004, Joint Mathematics Meeting, a conference of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America. The blue and white folder includes printed materials, a business card, and a cd-ROM.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
MacKichan Software, Inc.
ID Number
2004.3019.04
catalog number
2004.3019.04
nonaccession number
2004.3019

Envelope with Mark 2to the power(19937-1) Is a prime

This envelope is an example of the stationery used by the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York, to announce the discovery of a Mersenne prime using a computer there.Currently not on view
Description
This envelope is an example of the stationery used by the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York, to announce the discovery of a Mersenne prime using a computer there.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975
maker
IBM
ID Number
1999.3080.01
nonaccession number
1999.3080
catalog number
1999.3080.01

Mouse Pad, MacKichan Software, Inc., Scientific Suite

This is part of a small collection of material collected from advertisers at the January, 2004, Joint Mathematics Meeting, a conference of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America.
Description
This is part of a small collection of material collected from advertisers at the January, 2004, Joint Mathematics Meeting, a conference of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America. The shiny hard-top mouse pad has a non-skid rubber bottom layer. It displays a multi-color computer representation of a geometric surface.This is part of a small collection of material collected from advertisers at the January, 2004, Joint Mathematics Meeting, a conference of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America. The shiny hard-top mouse pad has a non-skid rubber bottom layer. It displays a multi-color computer representation of a geometric surface.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
MacKichan Software, Inc.
ID Number
2004.3019.05
catalog number
2004.3019.05
nonaccession number
2004.3019

Leaflet, Complete Data Processing with Modern Punched-Card and Computer Facilities UNIVAC Service Centers

This is one of a series of illustrated publications associated with Univac Service Centers. It describes generally the staffed and equipped centers created to make Univac tabulating equipment and mainframe electronic computers available to a range of users.
Description
This is one of a series of illustrated publications associated with Univac Service Centers. It describes generally the staffed and equipped centers created to make Univac tabulating equipment and mainframe electronic computers available to a range of users. The Remington Rand Univac form number is U1750.
Location
Currently not on view
author
Remington Rand Univac. Division of Sperry Rand
ID Number
1997.3012.04.19
catalog number
1997.3012.04.19
nonaccession number
1997.3012

Pamphlet, Data-Processing Flow Charts for Motor Freight Carriers

This illustrated advertising pamphlet presents flow charts for applications of the UNIVAC Solid State Computer to the accounting problems of trucking concerns. It has Remington Rand Univac number U2922A.Currently not on view
Description
This illustrated advertising pamphlet presents flow charts for applications of the UNIVAC Solid State Computer to the accounting problems of trucking concerns. It has Remington Rand Univac number U2922A.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1959
author
Remington Rand Univac. Division of Sperry Rand
ID Number
1997.3012.04.36
catalog number
1997.3012.04.36
nonaccession number
1997.3012

Coaster Advertising Burroughs Corporation

This round plastic coaster has several grooves around the outside. It is brown with a gold-colored center and is marked with the logo of Burroughs Corporation, the employer of the donor..Currently not on view
Description
This round plastic coaster has several grooves around the outside. It is brown with a gold-colored center and is marked with the logo of Burroughs Corporation, the employer of the donor..
Location
Currently not on view
distributor
Burroughs Corporation
maker
Burroughs Manufacturing Corporation
ID Number
1999.3082.01
catalog number
1999.3082.01
nonaccession number
1999.3082

Burroughs Legion of Honor Pin

This pin or tie tack is a gold square with a red and white enameled center that is marked with the Burroughs logo and the Burroughs legion of honor designation.
Description
This pin or tie tack is a gold square with a red and white enameled center that is marked with the Burroughs logo and the Burroughs legion of honor designation. A pin protrudes from the back and fits into a gold-colored holder.
According to the donor, Burroughs salesmen who sold 100 percent or more of their quota became members of the "Burroughs Legion of Honor." Those who were members for two or more consecutive years received pins with diamonds in them.
distributor
Burroughs Corporation
maker
Burroughs Manufacturing Corporation
ID Number
1999.3082.02
catalog number
1999.3082.02
nonaccession number
1999.3082

SDC A968 Punch Cards

This bright yellow punch card has eighty columns of digits, with the digits from 0 to 9 in each column. It is rounded at the corners except at the upper right corner, which is cut off in a straight line.
Description
This bright yellow punch card has eighty columns of digits, with the digits from 0 to 9 in each column. It is rounded at the corners except at the upper right corner, which is cut off in a straight line. The card contains fields in which the date was indicated with two digits for the year, two for the month and two for the day of the month. According to the donor, the card was from a firm of dry cleaners that used tabulating equipment in the 1960s (and perhaps the 1950s) for record keeping.
A mark in the lower left corner reads: SDC A968.
Compare 1997.3099.01.
The mark looks somewhat like the trademark of Systems development Corporation of Santa Monica, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960s
ca 1960s
ID Number
1997.3099.02
nonaccession number
1997.3099
catalog number
1997.3099.02

Card Showing Images of Remington Rand Univac Punched Cards

This wallet-sized card shows punched cards on both sides. One is a ninety-column card with round holes, the other an eighty-column card with rectangular holes. The image of the ninety-column card has text along the left side that reads: Printed in U. S. A. REMINGTON RAND.
Description
This wallet-sized card shows punched cards on both sides. One is a ninety-column card with round holes, the other an eighty-column card with rectangular holes. The image of the ninety-column card has text along the left side that reads: Printed in U. S. A. REMINGTON RAND. The image of the eighty-column card has text along the left side that reads: Printed in U. S. A. REMINGTON RAND U-2173.
Remington Rand tabulating machines had used ninety-column punched cards. By 1959, Remington Rand computers could use either ninety-column punched cards, punched with round holes, or eighty-column cards, punched with rectangular holes. The latter form of card had been introduced by IBM. This small card shows the choices.
Reference:
Gille Associates, Inc., The Punched Card Data Processing Annual, 1, 1959, pp. 43-47.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1955
ca 1959
author
Remington Rand Univac. Division of Sperry Rand
ID Number
1997.3012.04.06
nonaccession number
1997.3012
catalog number
1997.3012.04.06

Leaflet, UNIVAC 60 Computer Simplifies Order Filling and Accounting for Wholesale Drug Firm

This leaflet presents an account of the installation of a Univac 60 computer at the Walker Drug Company, a wholesaler in Birmingham, Alabama. The document has Remington Rand Univac form number U3212.Currently not on view
Description
This leaflet presents an account of the installation of a Univac 60 computer at the Walker Drug Company, a wholesaler in Birmingham, Alabama. The document has Remington Rand Univac form number U3212.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1960
ca 1957
author
Remington Rand Univac. Division of Sperry Rand
ID Number
1997.3012.04.24
catalog number
1997.3012.04.24
nonaccession number
1997.3012

Mouse Pad, MacKichan Software, Inc. Scientific Word

This is part of a small collection of material collected from advertisers at the January, 2004, Joint Mathematics Meeting, a conference of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America. The very flexible rubber mouse pad has a woven top.
Description
This is part of a small collection of material collected from advertisers at the January, 2004, Joint Mathematics Meeting, a conference of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America. The very flexible rubber mouse pad has a woven top. It displays a multi-color geometric surface on a yellow background.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
MacKichan Software, Inc.
ID Number
2004.3019.06
catalog number
2004.3019.06
nonaccession number
2004.3019

Remington Rand Model 3 Card Punch

From the early 20th century, a few American offices used punched cards to enter data onto accounting machines. In 1929 the Powers Accounting Machines Division of Remington Rand, Inc., introduced a "double deck" punch card for data entry.
Description
From the early 20th century, a few American offices used punched cards to enter data onto accounting machines. In 1929 the Powers Accounting Machines Division of Remington Rand, Inc., introduced a "double deck" punch card for data entry. It had two sets of 45-column rows, for a total of 90 columns. This desk-sized, electrically powered device punched both 45 and 90 column cards. Keys at the right front set the machine. Pressing the "TRIP" bar in front of these activated the punch. The machine could be set to punch duplicate data, or to duplicate cards. With special key tops, not present on this version of the machine, one could enter alphabetic data, not simply numbers.
The machine has a mirror, which should be mounted, for viewing cards.
A tag on the front of the machine reads: Remington Rand. It lists patent numbers ranging from 1,643,779 (issued September 27, 1927) to 2,203,355 (issued June 4, 1940). A red tag attached to one edge reads: 020300 14946 4. A metal tag near one corner reads: VA9-14946.
References:
L. Heide, Punched-Card Systems and the Early Information Explosion 1880–1945, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009, esp. pp. 76–96.
Powers Accounting Machines Division of Remington Rand, Inc., "Powers Reference Manual," Buffalo, N.Y.: Powers Accounting Machines, 1935.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940
maker
Remington Rand Inc.
ID Number
1998.0211.01
accession number
1998.0211
catalog number
1998.0211.01

Library of Congress Punch Card

The late 1960s and early 1970s were a time of rapid change in processes for cataloging and circulating books at the U.S. Library of Congress.
Description
The late 1960s and early 1970s were a time of rapid change in processes for cataloging and circulating books at the U.S. Library of Congress. Computers were introduced for preparing cataloging records for libraries across the nation, and for tracking and distributing books sent out on interlibrary loan. This is one card used in the process. It relates to a volume entitled Western Electric Co Info Care 3A Audio that had call No. RF151 WF. It was checked out on 12-12-72 to borrower OS500. A mark on the bottom edge of the card reads: HP/ECC-1294-0.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1972
maker
Library of Congress
ID Number
2002.3058.03
nonaccession number
2002.3058
catalog number
2002.3058.03

GRiD CASE 1530 Laptop Computer

The 1980s were a time of rapid change in personal computing. Relatively light, battery-operated laptop computers became available. From 1982, the California firm of GRiD Computer Systems, Inc., sold laptop computers of this type, using Intel microprocessors.
Description
The 1980s were a time of rapid change in personal computing. Relatively light, battery-operated laptop computers became available. From 1982, the California firm of GRiD Computer Systems, Inc., sold laptop computers of this type, using Intel microprocessors. Examples of early GRiD laptops were purchased by NASA, flew on the Space Shuttle in 1990, and survive in the collections of the National Air and Space Museum. This is a later GRiD laptop from the CASE 1500 series. The owner, Victor Yuliano of Arlington Virginia, first purchased the machine with an Intel 80286 chip in 1989 (the CASE 1520), and then upgraded to a 80386 chip and larger memory in 1991, creating a CASE 1530. Also included are cables, a carrying case, and a battery. Yuliano kept the machine running until late 1996. A template received with the machine indicates that it was used with the word processing language WordPerfect.
For related documentation, see non-accession 2015.3168.
Reference:
Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1989
Approx. 1989
maker
GRiD Systems
animator
Dope, John
ID Number
1997.0124.01
accession number
1997.0124
catalog number
1997.0124.01

Remington Rand Univac Minimum Latency Calculator Slide Rule

This circular device was an aid to programming the UNIVAC solid state computer. It consists of a paper disc, with equal divisions running from 1 to 200 near the edge, and a clear plastic rotating disc. These are pivoted together at the center.
Description
This circular device was an aid to programming the UNIVAC solid state computer. It consists of a paper disc, with equal divisions running from 1 to 200 near the edge, and a clear plastic rotating disc. These are pivoted together at the center. The upper disc is marked in red with two perpendicular diameters. The lower disc is marked: MINIMUM LATENCY CALCULATOR FOR THE UNIVAC SOLID-STATE COMPUTER. The UNIVAC had a magnetic storage drum on which locations were specified numerically. The latency calculator allowed programmers to write code for the machine to make the most efficient possible use of the drum memory.
The back of the instrument gives a list of instruction codes and corresponding execution times for words. It is marked: Remington Rand Univac. It is also marked: U1767 Rev. 1 PRINTED (/) IN (/) U.S.A. The rule was received in a paper bag.
Reference: Sperry Rand Corporation, Simple Transition to Electronic Processing, UNIVAC Solid-State 80, (1960), 18–26.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1950
maker
Remington Rand Univac
ID Number
2005.0271.01
accession number
2005.0271
catalog number
2005.0271.01

Wright Model 2000 Card Punch

This portable key punch for preparing punched cards was manufactured by the Massachusetts firm of Wright Line. Punched cards were central to large-scale data processing in the United States from the introduction of the Hollerith tabulating machine in the 1890s through the 1970s.
Description
This portable key punch for preparing punched cards was manufactured by the Massachusetts firm of Wright Line. Punched cards were central to large-scale data processing in the United States from the introduction of the Hollerith tabulating machine in the 1890s through the 1970s. Tabulating machine manufacturers such as IBM and Remington Rand (later Sperry Univac) rented card punches. Wright Line, founded in 1934, was one of relatively few independent data processing accessory manufacturers. It made and sold a large variety of files, magnetic tapes, card punches, and related machines.
The device is designed for 80-column punch cards such as those made for IBM computers. It has a metal base painted black with 12 number keys and an "S" key. These keys, with their white key tops, are attached to a moveable carriage. A single punch card fits in the carriage. A mark on the top reads: Wright (/) PUNCH (/) MODEL 2600.
This punch came to the Smithsonian from the United States Naval Observatory, a longtime user of tabulating equipment for scientific purposes.
References:
Accession file.
"E. Stanley Wright, Manufacturer, 66," New York Times, September 8, 1959, p. 35.
Wright Line, Data Processing Accessories Catalog ’69, p. 38.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970
maker
Wright Line
ID Number
2005.0174.01
accession number
2005.0174
catalog number
2005.0174.01

Commodore 201 Adding Machine

By the 1960s most adding machines on the market had ten keys and printed results. Often they were manufactured overseas. This ten-key, printing adding machine was made in Japan and imported by Commodore, a firm then based in Toronto.
Description
By the 1960s most adding machines on the market had ten keys and printed results. Often they were manufactured overseas. This ten-key, printing adding machine was made in Japan and imported by Commodore, a firm then based in Toronto. It has nine digit keys, a slightly larger digit bar, and keys marked with two vertical lines and with three vertical lines. It also has four function keys right of the digit keys and what appears to be a place value lever on the left, with a mechanical display of the place value above this.
Behind the keyboard at the back of the machine is a paper tape holder with a paper tape, a printing mechanism, and a two-colored ribbon. A rubber cord fits in the back of the machine and there is a plastic cover. At the front of the machine is a metal carrying handle.
A mark on the top reads: commodore. A tag on the bottom reads: commodore 201 (/) No 22742. The tag also reads: COMMODORE BUSINESSS MACHINES INC. MADE IN JAPAN. A mark on the cord reads: KAWASAKI.
Commodore Business Machines was incorporated in Toronto in 1955 under the direction of Jack Tramiel, a Holocaust survivor who had spent some years in the United States. The company initially distributed typewriters and came to sell electronic calculators and then personal computers. Commodore adding machines were advertised in American newspapers as early as 1962 and as late as 1972 (by this time they faced severe competition from electronic calculators). The Commodore 202, which is quite similar to this model, was advertised in 1968 as “all new.”
References:
Pine, D., “Jack Tramiel, Founder of Commodore Computers, Lodz Survivor, Dies at 83,” The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, 116 #16, April 20, 2012.
Los Angeles Times, January 21, 1968, p. C87. This is one of many advertisements found through the ProQuest database. It is for the Commodore Model 202.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1968
maker
Commodore Business Machines, Inc.
ID Number
1998.0246.01
accession number
1998.0246
catalog number
1998.0246.01

Pamphlet, Electronic Data-Processing for the Line Official

This pamphlet introduces the use of electronic computers for data processing to managers. It was developed by the Univac Division of Sperry Rand Corporation in conjunction with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company. It has Univac form number U2448.Currently not on view
Description
This pamphlet introduces the use of electronic computers for data processing to managers. It was developed by the Univac Division of Sperry Rand Corporation in conjunction with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company. It has Univac form number U2448.
Location
Currently not on view
author
Univac Division of Sperry Rand Corporation
ID Number
1997.3012.05.02
catalog number
1997.3012.05.02
nonaccession number
1997.3012

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