Computers & Business Machines
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
9,581
Page 1 of 480
-
Documentation - HP-55 Owner's Handbook
- Description
- This spiral-bound manual has a green and white cover. It describes the use of the HP-55 programmable handheld electronic calculator. This version is dated December 1974. Compare with a slightly later version from February of 1975 (1980.0813.03). For an example of the calculator, see 1980.0813.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1974
- maker
- Hewlett-Packard Company
- ID Number
- 1980.0813.02
- catalog number
- 1980.0813.02
- accession number
- 1980.0813
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
account book
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1970
- ID Number
- 1994.3119.44
- accession number
- 1994.3119
- catalog number
- 1994.3119.44
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
100 Francs, West African Monetary Union, 1972
- Description (Brief)
- One (1) 100 franc coin
- West African Monetary Union, 1972
- Obverse Image: Stylized fish in center.
- Obverse Text: BANQUE CENTRALE DES ETATS DE L'AFRIQUE DE L'OUEST
- Reverse Image: Floral design.
- Reverse Text: UNION MONETAIRE OUEST-AFRICAINE / 100 FRANCS / 1972
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1972
- maker
- Paris Mint
- ID Number
- NU.77.60.322
- catalog number
- 77.60.322
- accession number
- 1977.0795
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Texas Instruments Programmable 58/59 Master Library (documentation)
- Description
- This pamphlet has the full title: TI Programmable 58/59 Master Library Using the power of your Solid State Software module. It describes the operation of twenty-five programs sold as modules for the TI 58 and 59 calculators. In addition to the first diagnostic program, programs accomplished a varied of mathematical, statistical, and financial operations, as well conversions of units of measure. Also included was a program for computing the day of the week for any date after the year 1582 (in the Gregorian calendar) and the number of days between any two calendar dates. One program, the HI-LO Game, allowed a player to guess a number between 1 and 1023, given information about whether any guess was too high, too low, or accurate. Received with TI Programmable 59 calculator 1990.0609.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1977
- maker
- Texas Instruments
- ID Number
- 1990.3166.02
- catalog number
- 1990.3166.02
- nonaccession number
- 1990.3166
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
insignia
- Location
- Currently not on view
- associated date
- 1970
- ID Number
- AF.74424M
- catalog number
- 74424M
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Trychosanthus Dioica Dil., 3X
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1975
- maker
- Boericke & Tafel
- ID Number
- MG.311682.0061
- accession number
- 311682
- catalog number
- 311682.0061
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
insignia
- Location
- Currently not on view
- associated date
- 1972
- ID Number
- AF.76067M
- catalog number
- 76067M
- accession number
- 299393
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
trousers
- Location
- Currently not on view
- associated date
- 1941 - 1970
- Associated Date
- 1953
- ID Number
- AF.59904-N(5)
- catalog number
- 59904-N(5)
- accession number
- 1977.0821
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
St. Joseph with Infant Jesus
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1950 - 1970
- purchase date
- 1974-02-26
- ID Number
- CL.312498.08
- accession number
- 312498
- catalog number
- 312498.08
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
tablecloth
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1907
- associated dates
- 1978 08 15 / 1978 08 15
- 1910 00 00+ / 1910 00 00+
- maker
- Italian seamstresses
- ID Number
- 1978.0349.01
- catalog number
- 1978.0349.01
- accession number
- 1978.0349
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
1 Baht, Thailand, 1977
- Description (Brief)
- One (1) baht coin
- Thailand, 1977
- Obverse Image: Bust of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX.
- Obverse Text: ประเทศไทย รัชกาลที่๙
- Reverse Image: Suphannahong (flatboat), with Wat Arun Temple.
- Reverse Text: พ.ศ.๒๕๒๐ / ๑ / บาท
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1977
- ID Number
- 2018.0240.06
- accession number
- 2018.0240
- catalog number
- 2018.0240.06
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
What's Expected of Me Now; Bluebird
- Description (Brief)
- Flo Lacey. side 1: What's Expected of Me Now; side 2: Bluebird (Krugerrand AUM 101)
- 45 rpm
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1977
- recording artist
- Howard, Trustin
- Lacey, Flo
- maker
- Krugerrand Records
- ID Number
- 2000.3053.3225
- nonaccession number
- 2000.3053
- catalog number
- 2000.3053.3225
- label number
- AUM 101
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Sketch of the Harlem Globetrotters and Henry Kissinger
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1976
- associated institution
- Harlem Globetrotters
- ID Number
- 1983.0782.07
- accession number
- 1983.0782
- catalog number
- 1983.0782.07
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
cover, cap
- Location
- Currently not on view
- associated date
- 1941 - 1973
- ID Number
- AF.59761-N(12)E
- catalog number
- 59761-N(12)E
- accession number
- 309127
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Purple Haze
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1979
- ID Number
- 2006.0191.05
- accession number
- 2006.0191
- catalog number
- 2006.0191.05
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Bohsei Model 1000 Handheld Electronic Calculator
- Description
- This handheld electronic calculator has a light gray plastic case. It has ten digit keys, a decimal point key, four arithmetic function keys, and a total key. The keyboard has special blue squares surrounding the keys for pi, square root, reciprocal, percentage, and clear entry/clear. The four memory keys also have a blue background. The eight-digit green fluorescent display is behind the keyboard. A mark at the top left reads: BOHSEI. A mark immediately above the display reads: MODEL 1000. The on/off swith is on the right side.
- The case has a compartment for AA two batteries at the back. A gold-colored paper tag reads: Serial No. (/) 932770 (/) MADE IN HONG KONG. The calculator has a socket for an adapter on the top, but no adapter in this example.
- Newspaper advertisements indicate that a printing desktop electronic calculator was sold under the Bohsei name in 1977. A February 1978 advertisement in the Chicago Tribune indicates that the Bohsei Model 1000 was then on sale at a special price of $8.88.
- References:
- Chicago Tribune, November 24, 1977, p. T12.
- Chicago Tribune, February 25, 1978, p. 8.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1978
- ID Number
- 1986.0988.158
- catalog number
- 1986.0988.158
- accession number
- 1986.0988
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Football Helmet worn by Dan Ryczek of the Washington Redskins
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- ca 1974 - 1975
- maker
- Riddell
- user
- Ryczek, Dan
- maker
- Riddell
- ID Number
- 1982.0689.03
- catalog number
- 1982.0689.03
- accession number
- 1982.0689
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Combination Tablets #350
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1975
- maker
- Boericke & Tafel
- ID Number
- MG.311682.1209
- accession number
- 311682
- catalog number
- 311682.1209
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
A Chorus Line
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1973
- ID Number
- 1990.0580.23
- catalog number
- 1990.0580.23
- accession number
- 1990.0580
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Painting -Hippias' Curve
- Description
- This painting is a construction of Crockett Johnson, relating to a curve attributed to the ancient Greek mathematician Hippias. This was one of the first curves, other than the straight line and the circle, to be studied by mathematicians. None of Hippias's original writings survive, and the curve is relatively little known today. Crockett Johnson may well have followed the description of the curve given by Petr Beckmann in his book The History of Pi (1970). Crockett Johnson's copy of Beckmann’s book has some light pencil marks on his illustration of the theorem on page 39 (see figure).
- Hippias envisioned a curve generated by two motions. In Crockett Johnson's own drawing, a line segment equal to OB is supposed to move uniformly leftward across the page, generating a series of equally spaced vertical line segments. OB also rotates uniformly about the point O, forming the circular arc BQA. The points of intersection of the vertical lines and the arc are points on Hippias's curve. Assuming that the radius OK has a length equal to the square root of pi, the square AOB (the surface of the painting) has area equal to pi. Moreover, the height of triangle ASO, OS, is √(4 / pi), so that the area of triangle ASO is 1.
- The painting has a gray border and a wood and metal frame. The sections of the square and of the regions under Hippias's curve are painted in various pastel shades, ordered after the order of a color wheel.
- This oil painting is #114 in the series. It is signed on the back: HIPPIAS' CURVE (/) SQUARE AREA = (/) TRIANGLE " = 1 = [ . .] (/) Crockett Johnson 1973.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1973
- referenced
- Hippias
- painter
- Johnson, Crockett
- ID Number
- 1979.1093.76
- accession number
- 1979.1093
- catalog number
- 1979.1093.76
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Pages
Filter Your Results
Click to remove a filter:
- data source
-
topic
- Sports 1800
- Professional 1528
- Baseball 987
- Photography 837
- Princeton Posters 673
- Amusements 638
- Computers & Business Machines 554
- Major League 483
- Comics 425
- Handheld Electronic Calculators 360
- Mathematics 349
- Music 322
- Fantasy 317
- Science 303
- Social reformers 292
- Musical instruments 283
- Health & Medicine 241
- Politics 237
- Government 225
- Women's History 215
-
object type
- Posters 724
- card, baseball 548
- Photographs 546
- Insignias 403
- gelatin silver print 377
- Card, Baseball 366
- electronic calculator 362
- comic book 359
- Cards (information artifacts) 299
- Homeopathic Preparation, Bottle of 200
- card, basketball 199
- electronic calculator; Handheld 169
- Coins (money) 165
- Models 122
- Sound recordings 106
- Coats (garments) 100
- Trousers 100
- Medals 94
- biological 88
- Prints 82
- date
- place
- culture
-
set name
- Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure 1727
- Culture and the Arts: Entertainment 984
- Medicine and Science: Medicine 897
- Political and Military History: Armed Forces History, Military 890
- Work and Industry: Photographic History 850
- Photography 837
- Princeton Posters 673
- Medicine and Science: Computers 585
- Computers & Business Machines 554
- Popular Entertainment 398
- Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection 381
- Handheld Electronic Calculators 360
- Home and Community Life: Religion 321
- Medicine and Science: Mathematics 317
- Work and Industry: Electricity 297
- Political and Military History: Political History, Womens History/Reform Movements Collection 286
- Music & Musical Instruments 283
- Science & Mathematics 266
- Health & Medicine 241
- Sports & Leisure 231
