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
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Library of Congress Punch Card
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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McGill Cash Register Patent Model
- Description
- This is the patent model for U.S. patent 350,986, for a cash register. It has a pine box for a base and a wooden case that covers the mechanism and the back part of the box. Four notched metal wheels, mounted vertically, represent tens of dollars, dollars, tens of cents, and cents. Rotating the wheels forward enters digits, which appear in windows to the left of the wheels.
- Moving a knob on the front of the machine raises the case, which is hinged to the box at the back. This reveals the cash register mechanism, including a bell. It also shows the inside of the box, which contains several loose parts. One of these is a broken wooden disc that has a paper disc pasted to it with 26 letters around the edge (not in alphabetical order). The digits from 0 to 9 are listed next to 10 of the letters. This wheel may well not be part of the model. The patent tag with drawing and description is attached to the cash register.
- William C. McGill (1812–1890) was born in Berks County, Pa., and spent his early years at sea. He went to California at the time of the Gold Rush, then to Australia, and then to St. Louis. In 1860, he moved to Cincinnati, and soon was assisting in organizing the first company of military volunteers in that city. After the Civil War, he was a guard at the District of Columbia jail until he resigned in 1882 because of poor health. He reportedly was the first patentee of the bell punch and devoted most of his later years to his inventions.
- References:
- W. C. McGill, "Cash Register," U.S. Patent 350,986, October 19, 1886.
- Washington Post, August 23, 1890 (obituary).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1886
- patentee
- McGill, William C.
- maker
- McGill, William C.
- ID Number
- MA.309344
- accession number
- 89797
- catalog number
- 309344
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Counter from a Hollerith Tabulating Machine
- Description
- This is a single counter from a Hollerith tabulating machine. It has square brass pieces on top and bottom, with a brass mechanism in between. A paper-covered metal dial on top is divided around the edge into 100 equal parts. Two hands are on the face of the dial. Advancing the small hand by 100 (one revolution) advances the large hand by one. Hence the counter can read up to 9,999.
- A mark around the center of the dial reads: THE HOLLERITH (/) ELECTRIC TABULATING SYSTEM (/) PATENTED, 1889.
- Compare to the dials on MA.312895.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1890
- ID Number
- MA.335638
- catalog number
- 335638
- accession number
- 1977.0114
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Library of Congress Punch Card
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Library of Congress Punch Card
- 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 1A Audiometer that had call number RF151 W21. 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
- 2002.3058.04
- nonaccession number
- 2002.3058
- catalog number
- 2002.3058.04
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Hollerith Tabulating Machine
- Description
- During the 1880s the engineer Herman Hollerith devised a set of machines for compiling data from the United States Census. Hollerith's tabulating system included a punch for entering data about each person onto a blank card, a tabulator for reading the cards and summing up information, and a sorting box for sorting the cards for further analysis. The tabulator is shown at the center in the photograph.
- Hollerith's tabulating system won a gold medal at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, and was used successfully the next year to count the results of the 1890 Census. His inventions formed the starting point of a company that would become IBM.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Hollerith, Herman
- ID Number
- MA.312895
- accession number
- 171118
- catalog number
- 312895
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Hollerith Card Sorter
- Description
- During the 1880s the engineer Herman Hollerith devised a set of machines for compiling data from the U.S. Census. Hollerith's tabulating system included a punch for entering data about each person onto a blank card, a tabulator for reading the cards and summing up information, and a sorting box for sorting the cards for further analysis.
- This third part of the system, the sorter, is shown on the right in the photograph. It is an oak box with 26 vertical compartments arranged in two rows. Each compartment has a brass cover that is held in place by an electric catch connected to the tabulator. The sorter is connected by a cable to the tabulator. Once a card is read by the tabulator, a compartment opens in the sorter, indicating where the card should be placed for further counting. The front and back sides of the sorter open so that one may remove stacks of cards from the compartments.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1890
- maker
- Tabulating Machine Company
- ID Number
- MA.312897
- accession number
- 171118
- catalog number
- 312897
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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