Computers & Business Machines

• 

  Remington Rand Univac Minimum Latency Calculator Slide Rule

  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

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Dietzgen 1767 National Simplex Slide Rule

  Description

  In the 1950s, several manufacturers sold inexpensive plastic slide rules for use by students. This one-sided, ten-inch example, sold by the Chicago firm of Dietzgen has K, S, A, D, T, and L scales on the base. B, CI, and C scales are on the slide. The rule has a clear plastic frameless indicator with a hairline and black plastic endpieces. The top right corner of the base is marked: NATIONAL. Both ends of the slide are marked: DIETZGEN (/) NO. 1767. Both ends of the bottom of the base are marked: MADE (/) IN (/) U. S. A. A cream-colored synthetic leather case is marked: R. LAWSE. The rule was received with an instruction manual, 1988.0367.02.

  According to Peter Hopp and Bruce Babcock, Dietzgen manufactured model 1767 from 1955 to 1959. An earlier version of the National, the 1767P, had a different set of scales. It was manufactured from 1941 to 1952 and sold in 1952 for $1.75 or $18.25 for a dozen.

  References: Peter M. Hopp, Slide Rules: Their History, Models, and Makers (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1999), 160; Bruce Babcock, "Dietzgen Catalog Matrix," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/Dietzgen_CatalogMatrix_BruceBabcock1996_chart.jpg.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1955-1959

  maker

  Eugene Dietzgen Company

  ID Number

  1988.0367.01

  accession number

  1988.0367

  catalog number

  1988.0367.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Dietzgen 1735 Maniphase Multiplex Vector Slide Rule

  Description

  This two-sided, ten-inch wooden slide rule is coated with yellowed plastic and has metal endpieces. A glass indicator is cracked on both sides and has metal and black plastic edges marked: DIETZGEN. On one side, the base has L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales, with CF, CIF, LCI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked in red: DIETZGEN MANIPHASE MULTIPLEX VECTOR TYPE LOG-LOG RULE CAT. NO. 1735.

  On the other side, the base has LL0, LL00, A, D, Th, Sh2, and Sh1 scales, with B, T, ST, and S scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked: EUGENE DIETZGEN CO. PATS. 2,170,144 2,285,722 MADE IN U.S.A. 108821. The top edge of the rule is marked in script: Dom Petrone. The bottom edge is marked: DP.

  An orange leather case is marked on the flap: K+E. The front of the case is marked: P. Inside the flap is marked: GWU (/) Gerald (/) PETRONE (/) U of Md (/) Easton MD (/) MIT (/) PETRONE, RA. Lines 1–3, 4–5, and 6–7 are each in different inks and handwriting.

  The Eugene Dietzgen Company of Chicago offered model 1735 from 1941 to 1952. "Maniphase" refers to an arrangement of scales in which the company added K and CI scales to Mannheim rules; the word is printed on several slide rules sold by the Eugene Dietzgen Company. This rule is similar to 1986.0790.01, but it has hyperbolic tangent and sine scales on the back of the base instead of DI and K scales.

  Three U.S. Naval Academy professors applied for the patents mentioned on this slide rule in 1937 and 1938. These patents dealt with arranging and coloring scales so that problems could be solved in the fewest steps; they were also cited on Keuffel & Esser slide rule models 4080 and 4801. (See 1992.0437.01, 2007.0181.01, MA.318482, MA.334387, 1990.0687.01, and 1986.0790.03.)

  According to the donor, the rule was purchased by his uncle, Rocco Anthony Petrone (1926–2006), while he was studying for a master's degree in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1950 and 1951. After graduation he developed rockets for the U.S. Army. From 1966 to 1975, Petrone held various leadership positions at NASA, including director of the Apollo program (1969–1973).

  Petrone passed the slide rule on to his brother, Dominic J. Petrone, who earned a BS in electrical engineering from Union College in 1950. Dominic gave the rule to his son, Gerald Petrone, who studied engineering at George Washington University in 1969 and subsequently at the University of Maryland at College Park. Gerald broke the indicator and acquired the replacement now on the instrument. He then passed the instrument to his brother, donor David Petrone, who studied electrical engineering at UMCP from 1971 to 1974. At some point, the original case was also replaced with a case from Keuffel & Esser. Several of the Petrones who used the slide rule marked it or the case with their name or initials.

  References: Bruce Babcock, "Dietzgen Catalog Matrix," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/Dietzgen_CatalogMatrix_BruceBabcock1996_chart.jpg; William K. Robinson, "Slide Rules with Hyperbolic Functions," Journal of the Oughtred Society 14, no. 1 (2005): 55–62; Robert Otnes, "Dietzgen Patents, Runners, and Log Log Scales," Journal of the Oughtred Society 5, no. 2 (1996): 45–48; Lyman M. Kells, Willis F. Kern, and James R. Bland, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,170,144 issued August 22, 1939), and "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,285,722 issued June 9, 1942); accession file; "Candidates for Union College Degrees," Evening Recorder, Amsterdam, N.Y. (June 8, 1950), 5.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1950-1951

  maker

  Eugene Dietzgen Company

  ID Number

  2013.0040.01

  accession number

  2013.0040

  catalog number

  2013.0040.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Keuffel & Esser 4054 Polyphase Mannheim Simplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This ten-inch mahogany linear slide rule is coated with white celluloid on the front and on both sides of the slide. The base has A, D, and K scales. One side of the slide has B, CI, and C scales; the other side has S, L, and T scales. A paper table of equivalents and slide rule settings, based on U. S. Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47, is pasted to the back of the rule. See also 1981.0933.05 and 1999.0254.01. The indicator is glass with a plastic frame, of the style used by Keuffel & Esser after the 1937 patent indicated by the mark on the top edge of the frame: PATENT 2,086,502. A piece of the bottom edge of the frame is missing.

  The top of the base is marked in red: KEUFFEL & ESSER CO. N.Y.; PAT. 1,934,232, MADE IN U.S.A. The patent was issued in 1933 and refers to an improvement in assembling the instrument so that users could not as easily over-tighten the screws used to adjust the rule. The right end of the slide is marked in red with the model number: < 4054 >. The left end of the back of the slide and the front left corner of the base are marked with a serial number: 120337.

  The rule fits in a cardboard case covered with black leather. The top of the flap is marked: K & E (/) SLIDE RULE. The front of the flap is marked: 4054 (/) K + E. The case fits into a dark green cardboard box. Also inside the box is K&E pamphlet no. 3-44, titled "How to take care of your K & E slide rule: Mannheim" and copyrighted in 1944. Keuffel and Esser of New York sold this version of model 4054 from 1944 through 1952; the serial number is consistent with a date closer to 1944. The price in 1947 was $9.00. This example was purchased by the donor's grandfather, Abraham Nezin (1891–1987), when he took a course on operating new equipment obtained for his laundry on South Capital Street in Southwest Washington, D.C.

  References: Adolf W. Keuffel, "Slide Rules," (U.S. Patent 1,934,232 issued November 7, 1933); Adolf W. Keuffel, "Runner for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,086,502 issued July 6, 1937); Bob Otnes, "Adolf Keuffel and the Later K&E Slide Rules," Journal of the Oughtred Society 8, no. 1 (1999): 37–38; Clark McCoy, "Collection of Pages from K&E Catalogs for the 4054 Family," http://www.mccoys-kecatalogs.com/KEModels/ke4054family.htm; Ed Chamberlain, "Estimating K&E Slide Rule Dates," 27 December 2000, http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/ke/320-k+e_date2.jpg.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1944-1952

  maker

  Keuffel & Esser Co.

  ID Number

  2001.0117.01

  accession number

  2001.0117

  catalog number

  2001.0117.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Kegelman Stadia Reduction Computer Circular Slide Rule

  Description

  This white plastic circular rule has a clear plastic indicator attached with a metal grommet in the center. The rule has scales of H (horizontal factor), theta (vertical angle), and V (vertical factor). A diagram on the instrument gives the formulas for these factors. The instrument is marked: KB (/) STADIA REDUCTION COMPUTER (/) KEGELMAN BROS. (/) HUNTINGDON VALLEY PA. (/) COPYRIGHT, 1956 (/) BY WILLIAM KEGELMAN P.E. It is in a cream-colored paper envelope stamped: WILLIAM KEGELMAN (/) 393 COUNTY LINE ROAD (/) HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA.

  George Kegelman (1900–1985) began his career with Heller & Brightly of Philadelphia. He established his own shop around 1943 and began to work with his brother, William (1907–1985). In 1951, the pair formed Kegelman Brothers, which became best known for its Model 101 engineers transit. William Kegelman received a copyright (A245443) for this device, which was intended to process readings taken with the transit, on July 9, 1956.

  For other slide rules for reducing data from observations made with stadia rods, see MA.333636, 1977.1141.41, 1983.0472.01, 1987.0221.01, and 1987.0221.02.

  References: Robert C. Miller, "George Kegelman and Kegelman Brothers: Mathematical and Optical Instrument Makers," Rittenhouse 5 (1991): 56–58; Charles E. Smart, The Makers of Surveying Instruments in America Since 1700 (Troy, N.Y.: Regal Art Press, 1962–1967); Catalog of Copyright Entries: Books and Pamphlets, 3rd ser. 10 (1956): 324, 1161; Kegelman Bros., Instruction Manual for Engineers Transit (Hunting[d]on Valley, Pa., 1957) 9–10 (see 2001.0282.02).

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  after 1956

  maker

  Kegelman Bros.

  ID Number

  2001.0282.01

  accession number

  2001.0282

  catalog number

  2001.0282.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Pickett & Eckel Model 2 Deci Log Log Duplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This 10-inch duplex slide rule is made from a magnesium alloy coated with white celluloid. It has a flat glass indicator with metal sides and stainless steel end posts. One screw on the back bottom side is missing. The top side is engraved with a serial number: CO24920.

  The front of the rule has nine D scales, four also labeled 1/N, one also labeled Co, and four also labeled N. The two groups of four scales are extended and folded, so that for reading off logarithms, the rule is the equivalent of a rule 80" long. The slide has CF, CI, and C scales.

  The slide has several markings above the scales. The first marking reads: INTERNATIONAL (/) COPYRIGHT 1947 (/) U.S.A. COPYRIGHT 1947 (/) R. C. PICKETT, A. F. ECKEL (/) CHICAGO, U.S.A. Second, there is a table for Digits or Zero for Sine and Tangent and a table for the number of digits in a result found on the C scale. Third, a logo inside an oval reads: DECI• (/) LOG LOG (/) Trade Mark. Fourth is another table for whether a result has zeroes or digits in results for squares, cubes, and roots. The fifth marking reads: THE NUMBER OF ZEROS IS (/) ONE LESS THAN THE ABSO- (/) LUTE VALUE OF THE NEGA- (/) TIVE CHARACTERISTIC. (/) EXAMPLE: 10-5 = .00001. The sixth marking reads: THE NUMBER OF DIGITS IS (/) ONE GREATER THAN THE (/) POSITIVE CHARACTERISTIC. (/) EXAMPLE: 105 = 100,000. Finally, a mark at the right end of the slide reads: PATENTS PENDING (/) MADE IN U.S.A. (/) PICKETT & ECKEL, INC. (/) CHICAGO 3, U.S.A. (/) MODEL 2.

  The back of the rule has three cube root scales, an L scale, a D scale, and two square root scales. The scales for roots are folded, so that the rule is the equivalent of 60" in length for cube roots and 20" in length for square roots. The slide has two T scales and ST, S, CI, and C scales. The left side of the slide is marked: INTERNATIONAL (/) COPYRIGHT 1945 (/) U.S.A. COPYRIGHT 1945 (/) R.C. PICKETT, A. F. ECKEL (/) CHICAGO, U.S.A.

  Arthur Frederick Eckel (1894–1960) and Roswell Colvert Pickett (1892–1969) partnered in Chicago in 1943 to manufacture slide rules. By 1946, they had transitioned from paper slide rules to magnesium, and Pickett established a branch of the company in Alhambra, Calif. In 1947, Maurice L. Hartung, a University of Chicago professor who helped Pickett & Eckel market their products to schools, described the Model 2 in How to Use the Deci-Log Log Slide Rule (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, 1947). A copy of this pamphlet is 1979.0601.04. Eckel received four of the patents mentioned as "pending" on the object in 1948 and 1949. He left the company around that time, and his name was removed from slide rules by 1950. Thus, this example was probably made between 1946 and 1950.

  Indeed, the donor, Frank M. Graves, reported that he used this rule as a college student. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Syracuse University in 1949.

  The rule fits in a brown leather case marked on the flap with "Pickett" in script over a triangular logo. A belt loop on the back of the case is marked: SADDLE (/) LEATHER. The logo was used by the company from 1950 to 1958, so the case may be a replacement. The style of the belt loop, though, differs from the ring construction depicted in Pickett's 1953 catalog. In 1953, Model 2 and its case sold for $21.35.

  References: Arthur F. Eckel, "Decimal Point Locator for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,446,696 issued August 10, 1948), "Calculator and Decimal Point Locator (U.S. Patent 2,466,883 issued April 12, 1949), "Slide Rule," (U.S. Patent 2,466,983 issued April 12, 1949), "Interchangeable Scale for Slide Rules" (U.S. Patent 2,491,650 issued December 20, 1949); Pickett All-Metal Slide Rules and "Retail Price List-Catalog," (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, February 1, 1953); International Slide Rule Museum, "Pickett All-Metal Slide Rules," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm#Pickett; Accession File.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1946-1950

  maker

  Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated

  ID Number

  1979.0601.02

  catalog number

  1979.0601.02

  accession number

  1979.0601

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Kegelman Instruction Manual for Engineers Transit

  Description

  This 20-page booklet was received with 2001.0282.01. Surveyors used stadia computers to reduce the data they collected from making observations with a transit and a stadia rod, to determine the vertical angle of elevation and the horizontal distance of the stadia rod.

  William Kegelman, who manufactured transits with his brother and partner, George, from about 1944 to 1988, copyrighted a "stadia reduction computer" in 1956. This device is described on pages 9–10 of the booklet; the booklet's citation information is Kegelman Bros., Instruction Manual for Engineers Transit (Hunting[d]on Valley, Pa., 1957).

  Reference: Robert C. Miller, "George Kegelman and Kegelman Brothers: Mathematical and Optical Instrument Makers," Rittenhouse 5 (1991): 56–58.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  copyright date; date made

  1957

  maker

  Kegelman Bros.

  ID Number

  2001.0282.02

  accession number

  2001.0282

  catalog number

  2001.0282.02

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Charvoz-Roos SR-104 Simplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This ten-inch wooden one-sided rule is painted white. A, D, and K scales are on the base; B, CI, and C scales are on the front of the slide; and S, L, and T scales are on the back of the slide. The top of the base is marked in red: No. SR-104 CHARVOZ-ROOS MADE IN U. S. A. On the back of the base are tables of equivalents and settings that show where to place the slide in order to convert between various units, such as from centimeters to inches. There is no indicator. The instrument fits in a black paper case that was once coated with synthetic leather.

  Brief articles in the New York Times indicate that the firm of Charvoz-Roos was formed in New Jersey in 1946 and apparently closed in 1953. See also 2009.3008.01. This company rebranded slide rules by other manufacturers and assembled slide rules from parts made by other manufacturers. This rule resembles a rule made by the Lawrence Engineering Service (1983.0042.01), but the tables on the back are like those based on National Bureau of Standards Circular No. 47 that Keuffel & Esser put on its rules from the 1920s to the 1950s. See 1984.1068.01. Although 1987.0184.01 is a painted wooden rule with these tables, the style of the letters and pi symbols on the scales are different from those on this rule.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1946-1953

  maker

  Charvoz-Roos

  ID Number

  2009.3008.02

  nonaccession number

  2009.3008

  catalog number

  2009.3008.02

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Charles Bruning 2401 Simplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This one-sided, five-inch white molded plastic linear slide rule has a glass indicator with a metal frame. The top edge is beveled and has a 12.5 cm scale, divided to millimeters. The top of the base has an A scale and is marked: CHARLES BRUNING CO. It is also marked: MADE IN U.S.A. The slide has B, CI, and C scales on one side and S, L, and T scales on the other side. The left end of the front of the slide is marked: 2401. The bottom edge of the rule is beveled and has a five-inch scale, divided to 32nds of an inch. Three screws on the back of the rule permit the top of the base to be adjusted.

  The instrument fits in a brown leather sleeve, which in turn fits in a red cardboard box. The box is marked: BRUNING (/) [Bruning logo of CB inside a diamond] (/) CHARLES BRUNING COMPANY, INC. A slip of paper inside the box advertises a magnifier that could be ordered for 60 cents from any of fourteen Bruning branch offices located across the United States. For an instruction manual received with the instrument, see 1991.0445.03.01.

  Charles Bruning (1866–1931) was born in Denmark and immigrated to the United States. In Chicago during the 1890s, he became interested in the blueprint business. In 1897 he set up his own blueprinting company in Manhattan, which was incorporated at the New York Blue Print Paper Company in 1901. Around 1920 he purchased American Blue Print Company of Chicago, and the combined firms became known as the Charles Bruning Company, Inc. The company's 1921 catalog lists eleven slide rules, although it is unclear whether any of these were actually manufactured by Bruning. By 1936 a new system of numbering was introduced. It assigned different model numbers to slide rules sold with different types of cases. This increased the number of model numbers to 14, but only 8 of these appear to be distinct. By 1952 most slide rules sold by Bruning were all-metal slide rules manufactured by Pickett & Eckel. This all-plastic rule is an exception.

  The instruction manual was copyrighted in 1944. This model is not shown in the 1939 Bruning catalog. By 1952 the indicator was of a different form. Hence, this rule likely dates from 1944 to 1951. The Charles Bruning Company merged with the Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation in 1963.

  References: New York Blue Print Paper Company, Catalog (New York, 1921), 155–157; "Charles Bruning," New York Times (January 31, 1931), 14; Charles Bruning Company, Inc., General Catalog (New York, 1936), 130–134; Charles Bruning Company, Inc., General Catalog (New York, 1939), 146–152; Charles Bruning Company, Inc., General Catalog (Teterboro, N.J. and Chicago, 1952), 121.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1944-1951

  maker

  Charles Bruning Company

  ID Number

  1991.0445.03

  accession number

  1991.0445

  catalog number

  1991.0445.03

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Novotni Weight Slide Rule

  Description

  This black Bakelite instrument is held together with metal screws. It calculates the weight of metal required by a blacksmith, foundry worker, shopkeeper, or similar worker, given the dimensions and shape of a metal part to be produced. The top of the base has a logarithmic scale that gives the thickness of the part in inches. There are two slides. The upper slide has a logarithmic scale of widths (in inches) along its upper edge and a logarithmic scale of lengths (in inches or feet) along its lower edge.

  The upper edge of the lower slide has two scales for possible metals, one for lengths measured in inches, one for lengths in feet. The metals are copper, brass, steel, cast iron, lead, aluminum, and water. The lower edge indicates the shape of the piece. The bottom of the base has a logarithmic scale that gives the weight in pounds.

  The center top of the base is marked: WEIGHT SLIDE RULE. The bottom left corner is marked: Novotni (/) Slide Rule (/) Media, Pa. The bottom right corner is marked: Patented (/) Others Pending.

  John L. Novotni (1893–1966), a blacksmith of Czech descent, is listed in the 1920 census as working in a foundry in Delaware County, Penn. In the 1910s, he worked at an automobile and wagon repair shop in Oaklyn, N.J., with Andrew W. Kelly and John Hornyak, who received a patent for this design in 1917 and sold it as the Kelkay Weight Slide Rule by 1920. By 1922 Kelly and Hornyak and Novotni were selling other celluloid rules, such as the Paper Box Board Rule. By 1929 Novotni was selling slide rules under the name of the Novotni Slide Rule Company and was having the rules made of Bakelite. In 1937, he moved to Media, Pa. According to Novotni's daughter, Evelyn Novotni Bond, steel companies continued to purchase the Weight Slide Rule until 1992.

  References: Andrew W. Kelly and John Hornyak, "Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 1,210,488 issued January 2, 1917); "The Kelkay Weight Slide Rule," American Blacksmith 19, no. 11 (August 1920): 290; Directions for the use of the Novotni Weight Slide Rule (Media, Pa., about 1920), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M75_Novotni_Weight_Slide_Rule.pdf; "Firm Tailors Slide Rules to Specific Tasks," Steel 155 (1964); accession file.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1937-ca 1959

  maker

  Novotni Slide Rule

  ID Number

  2009.0038.01

  accession number

  2009.0038

  catalog number

  2009.0038.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Perrygraf Clipper Cargo Dimensional Weight Computer Circular Slide Chart

  Description

  This instrument consists of concentric turquoise and white paper discs and a paper indicator held together with a metal rivet. Around the edge of the turquoise disc is a logarithmic scale of weight in pounds that ranges from 2 to 1,000. Inside this is a scale of lengths from 10" to 50". The white disc has a scale of heights from 5" to 50" and a scale of widths from 6" to 50". The indicator has a scale in densities in cubic inches per pound from 100 to 300 and instructions for setting the dimensions and density of a parcel in order to read off the parcel's weight.

  The indicator is marked: PAN AMERICAN WORLD (/) AIRWAYS (/) 506 West Sixth Street (/) Los Angeles 14, California (/) Phone: Michigan 2121 (/) CLIPPER CARGO (/) Dimensional (/) WEIGHT COMPUTER. The white disc is marked: Clipper, Trade Mark, Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. Printed in U.S.A. (/) Copyright 1951, Pan American World Airways, Inc. (/) Slide-Chart by PERRYGRAF, Maywood, Ill. The back of the instrument has a Pan Am compass rose logo at the center of advertising text: ANY WAY YOU MEASURE (/) MAKE CLIPPER CARGO YOUR RULE (/) For All Your Export Shipping (/) See Us For A Free Cost Analysis of (/) CLIPPER CARGO SERVICE (/) via PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS.

  A slide chart is a slide rule that performs a specific calculation, usually commissioned by a company as a promotional item. In 1934, machinery inspector Lester E. Perry (1901–1991) came up with the idea of equipping salespeople with slide charts so that they could immediately answer customers' questions. Perrygraf Corporation, the company he established in the Chicago, Ill., suburbs, quickly became a dominant force in this market. Pan Am was the principal international air carrier in the United States for most of the 20th century. See also 1996.3029.02, whose copyright date suggests that the latest date this chart was made was 1957.

  References: George Melloan, "Pocket Slide Charts Aid Engineers, Help Sell Steel, Lipstick," Wall Street Journal, September 4, 1953, 1; "People: Perrygraf," Waywiser, Harvard University Department of the History of Science website.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1951-1957

  maker

  Perry Graf Corporation

  ID Number

  1996.3029.01

  nonaccession number

  1996.3029

  catalog number

  1996.3029.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Pickett N4-ES Vector-Type Log Log Duplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This aluminum ten-inch linear duplex slide rule is coated in Pickett's "Eye Saver" yellow plastic. The flat nylon indicator is screwed within a white plastic frame. The front top of the base has three extended cube root scales (one for numbers with 1, 4, 7, 10, or more digits before the decimal point; one for numbers with 2, 5, 8, 11, or more digits; and one for numbers with 3, 6, 9, 12, or more digits) and a DF scale. The front bottom of the base has D, DI, and square root scales. The top square root scale gives roots of numbers on the D scale with an odd number of digits before the decimal point; the lower square root scale gives roots of numbers with an even number of digits. The front of the slide has CF, CIF, double T, ST, S, CI, and C scales.

  The left end of the slide is marked: MODEL N4-ES (/) Vector-Type LOG LOG (/) DUAL-BASE SPEED RULE. The right end has "Pickett" in script on a triangle with a dot at one point. MADE IN U.S.A. appears beneath the logo. This form of logo was in use from 1958 to 1962. The style of the grooved stamped aluminum posts is also consisted with this timeframe.

  The top back of the base has LL1, LL2, and DF/M scales. D, LL3, and LL4 scales are on the bottom of the base. The back of the slide has CF/M, TH, SH, Ln, L, CI, and C scales. The back of the slide is marked at the left end: COPYRIGHT 1959© (/) PATENT APPLIED FOR. The right end is marked: PICKETT (/) ALL METAL (/) SLIDE RULES (/) PICKETT & ECKEL INC. (/) CHICAGO ILL. U.S.A. The mention on the instrument of a patent application may refer to a patent for a case issued to John W. Pickett in 1960. Pickett was the son of company founder Ross C. Pickett and served as president of the firm from 1957 to 1967.

  The slide rule is in a red-brown leather case lined in white plastic. The triangular Pickett logo is stamped in gold on the front of the case, and a metal ring on the back is for a leather strap (no longer with the instrument) that can be hung around a belt loop. See 1980.0097.04 for instructions.

  The donor, engineer Edgar F. Peebles, obtained this slide rule free of charge as a replacement when the numbers came off the slide rule he had used in college. He first used it from 1959 to 1965 in the satellite control facility of the Air Force at Sunnyvale, Calif. He then used it as a down range representative for Lockheed Missiles and Space Company from 1965 to 1968 in tests of the Polaris missile. Finally, from 1968 to 1969 he used the slide rule in the checkout area of the test Polaris missile manufacturing plant in Sunnydale.

  References: Rodger Shepherd, "Pickett's 'Eye Saver Yellow,'" Journal of the Oughtred Society 1, no. 1 (1992): 18; International Slide Rule Museum, "Pickett All-Metal Slide Rules," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm#Pickett; Maurice L. Hartung, How to Use . . . Pickett Dual Base Log Log Slide Rules (Chicago: Pickett & Eckel, Inc., 1953), http://sliderulemuseum.com/Manuals/M103_Pickett_HowToUseDualBase_1953.pdf; John W. Pickett, "Slide Rule Case" (U.S. Patent D187,632 issued April 5, 1960); accession file.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1959

  maker

  Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated

  ID Number

  2000.0203.01

  accession number

  2000.0203

  catalog number

  2000.0203.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Macbeth Daylighting Circular Slide Chart

  Description

  In the first half of the 20th century, electric lighting became commonplace in American stores, factories, and homes. Firms such as Macbeth Daylighting Company of New York City and Corning Glassware of Corning, N.Y., developed special glass filters that transmitted incandescent light with optical properties similar to those of natural light. Macbeth distributed this white paper circular slide chart, which allowed the user to compare the efficiency and color temperature of Macbeth Whiterlite filters and Corning Daylite filters.

  The device is marked: MACBETH DAYLIGHTING CO., Inc. (/) 227–239 West 17th Street (/) New York. It probably dates from between 1920 and 1950. A tan paper envelope is also marked with the company's address.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1920-1950

  maker

  Macbeth-Evans Glass Company

  ID Number

  1979.3074.01

  nonaccession number

  1979.3074

  catalog number

  1979.3074.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Fuel-Steam Calculator Circular Slide Rule for Norfolk & Western Railway, invented by Fred Q. Saunders

  Description

  This two-sided white plastic circular slide rule helped railroad procurement officers determine the amount and cost of coal or oil needed to efficiently operate the boiler of a train engine. It consists of three concentric discs, with the two smaller discs on the front and back and one large disc in the middle. The metal fastener holding the discs together is tarnished. On the front, the outer edge of the large disc bears an evenly-divided scale for "Fuel Cost per Million Btu's and Steam Cost per 1000 lbs." The smaller disc has scales for coal cost per ton/oil cost per gallon, BTUs per pound, and evaporation for a high viscosity of fuel. A bell-shaped indicator has a scale for the weight of oil in pounds per gallon.

  On the back of the instrument, from the outside in, there are scales and windows for reading the feed water temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit), difference in height (in BTUs per pound), steam pressure (in pounds per square inch), boiler efficiency, the heat value of fuel (in BTUs per pound), a boiler at high pressure, the factor of evaporation and equivalent evaporation, saturated steam pressure (in degrees Fahrenheit), and steam pressure (in pounds per square inch). There is a hairline indicator. The instrument fits into a black leather case.

  The front of the device is marked: FRED Q. SAUNDERS (/) RICHMOND, VIRGINIA; FUEL-STEAM CALCULATOR; PAT. 2,328,881. The indicator on the front is marked: N & W (/) Ry. (/) CARRIER OF (/) FUEL SATISFACTION. This is the logo for the Norfolk & Western Railway, which transported coal east from the Pocahontas Coal and Coke Company in the Appalachian mountains. N&W was a relatively small railroad with a significant role in American transportation in the 19th and 20th centuries. It expanded into other activities in 1964 by merging with several other railroads; around this time, it also completed the transition from steam-powered to diesel locomotives. In 1998, the company was merged into Norfolk Southern Corporation.

  Inside one of the windows on the back of the instrument is marked: 459; WHITEHEAD-HOAG, NEWARK, N.J. Founded in 1892 and in business until 1959, Whitehead and Hoag was a major producer of paper and plastic advertising novelties. Headquartered in Newark, it had branch offices in about thirty cities around the world. For other slide rules made by this company, see 1987.0221.02 and those described by the MIT Museum and Dick Rose's Catalog for Vintage Instruments (October 2000) at their web sites.

  Besides his patent on this device, Fred Q. Saunders of Richmond, Va., copyrighted a "Fuel Steam Calculator Manual" on July 2, 1945 (cit. no. 21463). In 1952, he received patent no. 2,763,873 for a portable, collapsible bath tub to be used on hospital beds.

  References: Fred Q. Saunders, "Fuel Engineer's Calculator" (U.S. Patent 2,328,881 issued September 7, 1943); Library of Congress Copyright Office, Catalog of Copyright Entries: Part 1, Books, Group 2, Pamphlets, Etc., new ser. 42 (1945): 397; Mason Y. Cooper, "An Introduction to the Norfolk & Western Railway," Norfolk & Western Historical Society, http://www.nwhs.org/about_nw.html; Thomas W. Dixon, Jr., Appalachian Coal Mines & Railroads (Lynchburg, Va.: TLC Publishing, Inc., 1994); Joseph T. Lambie, From Mine to Market: The History of Coal Transportation on the Norfolk and Western Railway (New York: New York University Press, 1954); "Whitehead and Hoag Collection," Nehushtan Antiques, http://www.nehushtanantiques.com/whitehead_and_hoag.html.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1943-1959

  maker

  Whitehead & Hoag Company

  ID Number

  1984.1080.01

  accession number

  1984.1080

  catalog number

  1984.1080.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Dietzgen Instruction Manual for Maniphase Slide Rule

  Description

  The citation information for this sixteen-page booklet is: Self-teaching Instruction Manual: Maniphase Slide Rule (Chicago: Eugene Dietzgen Co., n.d.). The slide rule depicted inside the manual is Dietzgen's "National," model 1767, and the manual was received with 1988.0367.01. Detailed instructions are provided for reading the scales, multiplication, placing the decimal point, division, proportion, squares and square roots, cube and cube roots, trigonometry, and logarithms. "Maniphase" on the cover refers to an arrangement of scales in which the company added K and CI scales to Mannheim rules; the word is printed on several slide rules sold by the Eugene Dietzgen Company. Indeed, the manual indicates portions of it could be used with other Dietzgen slide rules, such as model 1772A.

  Reference: Walter Shawlee, "The Dietzgen Company Archive," http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/dietzgen.html.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1950s

  maker

  Eugene Dietzgen Company

  ID Number

  1988.0367.02

  accession number

  1988.0367

  catalog number

  1988.0367.02

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Commonwealth 581 Admiration Professional Simplex Slide Rule

  Description

  The Commonwealth Plastics Corporation of Leominster, Mass., a manufacturer of plastic toys, dolls, and other goods, made this one-sided, six-inch inexpensive white molded plastic slide rule with a clear plastic frameless indicator. The base has A and D scales, with B, CI, and C scales on the slide. The slide also has linear scales along its edges, inches divided to sixteenths of an inch and centimeters divided to millimeters. The back of the rule has a table of equivalents and abbreviations. The back is marked in script: Admiration. It is also marked: U.S.A. The rule fits into two slots in a yellow card. The front of the paper holder is marked: Instructions for use (/) on back of card; Admiration (/) PROFESSIONAL SLIDE RULE; EASY TO USE (/) No. 581. The back of the card gives directions and examples for reading the scales, locating the decimal point, multiplication, division, squares, square roots, and cubes. The card and rule are in a plastic bag stamped: 30¢.

  Commonwealth Plastics was founded around 1923 and remained in business at 98 Adams Street until at least 1960. It was not a major manufacturer of slide rules.

  References: "William Morris Lester (1908–2005)," The Plastics Collection, Syracuse University Library Special Collections Research Center, http://scrc.syr.edu:8080/content/lester_wm.php; Karen Nugent, "A City in the Making, from Pianos to Plastics: Industrial Past Spotlighted for Tour," Telegram & Gazette, Worcester, Mass., May 27, 2010; ad for Extrusion Supervisor, The Telegraph, Nashua, N.H., February 12, 1960, 10.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1950s

  maker

  Commonwealth Plastics Corporation

  ID Number

  1988.0807.03

  accession number

  1988.0807

  catalog number

  1988.0807.03

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  IBM Machine Load Computer Slide Rule

  Description

  This plastic rectangular instrument calculated the time required for different types of IBM punched card equipment to process given numbers of cards. The black side is for accounting machines, sorters, and collators. The white side is for card punches, verifiers, and auxiliary machines. These machines were in use from roughly 1953 through 1959. The white side is marked: IBM; International Business Machines Corp. (/) 590 Madison Ave. New York 22, N.Y. (/) Patent Applied For. It is also marked THINK and MADE IN U.S.A. An instruction card is provided. A tan envelope is marked: IBM (/) MACHINE LOAD COMPUTER (/) AND DESCRIPTIVE FOLDER (/) Form 20-8704-1. No patent record was located.

  Benjamin S. Mulitz, the donor, worked with punched card equipment and then with computers from 1940 until 1985. He used both Remington Rand and IBM products. He was employed by the U.S. government and then in the wholesale drug industry.

  Reference: accession file.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1953-1959

  maker

  International Business Machines Corporation

  ID Number

  2006.0174.02

  accession number

  2006.0174

  catalog number

  2006.0174.02

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Pickett 904-ES Decimal Keeper Duplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This aluminum duplex slide rule has a yellow coating and a clear plastic indicator. The "ES" in the model number refers to the rule's "Eye Saver" yellow color. The rule and indicator are held together with aluminum braces that have protruding grooves. The front of the rule has K, A, DF, D, and L scales, with CF, S, T, CI, and C scales on the slide. The scales are 9-1/2 inches long. The back of the rule has a D* scale, with T*, S* Cl*, and C* scales on the slide. Instead of covering the typical one decade of C and D scales, the scales with asterisks cover twenty decades, from 1010 to 10-10. These scales helped inexperienced users keep track of the decimal point. They performed their calculation first on the back, to determine the order of magnitude, and then a second time on the front, to make the answer precise to three significant figures.

  The front of the slide is marked: MODEL 904-ES (/) TRIG AND (/) DECIMAL KEEPER (/) SPEED RULE. A Pickett logo is at the other end of the slide, with the number 47 printed above the logo. The back of the rule is marked: PATENT (/) APPLIED FOR; DECIMAL KEEPER; PICKETT & ECKEL, INC. (/) CHICAGO 3, ILL. - ALHAMBRA, CAL. The logo on this rule is that used by Pickett from 1958 to 1962. The shape and material of the cursor and the braces suggest a date of 1957–1959. Hence, the object appears to have a rough date of 1958–1959.

  The donor patented an "automatic decimal point slide rule" and assigned the patent to Pickett. He also distributed Pickett slide rules through his own mail order firm of Devonics, Inc.

  The rule was received in a plastic bag. For somewhat related documentation, see 1995.0126.04. See also Lawrence J. Kamm, "Automatic Decimal Point Slide Rule" (U.S. Patent 2,893,630 issued July 7, 1959).

  References: Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 75–76, 100; Ron Manley, "Pickett 904-ES – Trig and decimal keeper," http://www.sliderules.info/collection/10inch/090/1096-pickett-904.htm; "Slide Rule Dates and Time-Lines," http://sliderulemuseum.com/SR_Dates.htm.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1958-1959

  maker

  Pickett & Eckel, Incorporated

  ID Number

  1995.0126.01

  accession number

  1995.0126

  catalog number

  1995.0126.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Acu-Math 130 Duplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This ten-inch duplex linear magnesium slide rule is coated with layers of white vinyl and has finger holes at both ends of both sides of the slide. On the front, the base has L, LL1, DF, D, LL3, and LL2 scales, with CF, CIF, CI, and C scales on the slide. The top of the base is marked LOG LOG DECIMAL TRIG ACU-MATH No 130 MADE IN U S A. On the back, the base has LLO, LLOO, A, D, S, ST, and T scales, with B, K, CI, and C scales on the slide. The indicator is plastic with white plastic edges. A maroon leather case with belt loop has a window marked: F. G. VIANZON.

  The Acu-Rule Manufacturing Company was founded in 1938 in Festus, Mo., as the Festus Manufacturing Company. Renamed Acu-Rule Manufacturing Company in 1940, it soon was moved to St. Louis. In 1950 the company adopted the brand name Acu-Math (or ACUMATH). The firm moved to Mt. Olive, Ill., in 1954 and was sold to Sterling Plastics of Mountainside, N.J., in 1968. This model was not among the first rules sold by the firm, nor is it listed in a 1960 company catalog. Hence, it appears to date between 1950 and 1959. The donor's father, Felipe G. Vianzon, used this instrument.

  Reference: George E. Keane, "A History of the Festus Manufacturing Company and Its Successor, the Acu-Rule Manufacturing Company, Makers of the Acu-Rule and ACUMATH Slide Rule," Journal of the Oughtred Society 14, no. 1 (2005): 51–54.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1950-1959

  maker

  Acu-Rule Manufacturing Company

  ID Number

  2002.0158.01

  accession number

  2002.0158

  catalog number

  2002.0158.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Diwa 601 Rietz Simplex Slide Rule

  Description

  This five-inch, one-sided white molded plastic slide rule has K, A, D, and L scales on the base. B, CI, and C scales are on one side of the slide, and S, S&T, and T scales are on the other side, which is marked at the left end: Diwa (/) DENMARK. The top edge is beveled and has a scale of inches in red and a scale of centimeters in black. A glass indicator has a hairline and metal edges. A notch covered with clear plastic is on the right end of the base. The right end of the back is marked: No. 601 (/) MADE IN DENMARK. The back is also marked: COOPER-SIMON & CO., INC. (/) TECHNICAL SALES • FIELD ENGINEERS (/) Lehigh 5-2900 (/) 400 EAST 79th STREET • NEW YORK 21, N. Y. A brown leather sleeve has been scratched: PHIL KRUPEN. The previous owner's name is also written inside the case. Compare to 1992.0433.03.

  Cooper-Simon, a distributor of ACME electric transformers, Chester cables, AEMCO relays, and various resistance products, presumably handed out this rule to advertise its firm. The Danish slide rule manufacturer, DIWA, was established in 1924 and prospered after World War II. During the postwar era, it often sold model 601 to companies for use as a promotional item. Krupen (1915–2001) was a physicist who graduated B.S. from Brooklyn College in 1935, worked on the development of the proximity fuse during and after World War II, earned a master's degree in physics from George Washington University, and spent a total of 38 years working for the U.S. government before he retired in 1973.

  References: Dieter von Jezierski, Slide Rules: A Journey Through Three Centuries, trans. Rodger Shepherd (Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 2000), 77; International Slide Rule Museum, "Miscellaneous Europe," http://sliderulemuseum.com/, with instructions under the directory SR_Library_Europe.htm; accession file.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1950

  maker

  Diwa Manufacturing Co.

  ID Number

  1986.0790.05

  catalog number

  1986.0790.05

  accession number

  1986.0790

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

Pages