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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Texas Instruments Little Professor Teaching Calculator
- Description
- Introduced in mid-1976, the Little Professor is a non-printing electronic calculator modified to present simple arithmetic problems. A correct answer prompts another problem on the eight-digit display. An error delivers the message, "EEE." The colorful keyboard shows a professor with whiskers and glasses. The red light-emitting diode screen, in combination with the top of the instrument, looks like a mortar board.
- This example has buttons that allow one to set the level of problems, as well as an on/off button on the front rather than the side of the machine. These features were introduced in a version of the machine made from 1978 onward.
- Reference:
- P. A. Kidwell, A. Ackerberg-Hastings, and D. L. Roberts, Tools of American Mathematics Teaching, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008, pp. 261–262.
- date made
- ca 1978
- maker
- Texas Instruments
- ID Number
- 1986.0988.197
- accession number
- 1986.0988
- catalog number
- 1986.0988.197
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Intel 8080A Microprocessor
- Description
- Intel introduced its 8080A 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) microprocessor in April 1974. Generally considered as the first truly usable microprocessor, the chip ran at 2 megahertz and powered the Altair 8800 and the IMSAI 8080, two of the first Personal Computers. Housed in a 40-pin DIP package that contained 6,000 transistors, the integrated circuit could receive 8-bit instructions and perform 16-bit operations. This particular example is marked "8321"indicating it was made in the 21st week of 1983. The "D8080A" means the unit has a housing of black ceramic.
- date made
- 1983-05
- maker
- Intel Corporation
- ID Number
- 1984.0124.04
- accession number
- 1984.0124
- catalog number
- 1984.0124.04
- maker number
- 8080
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Printing Cylinder for IBM Punch Cards
- Description
- This chrome-plated hollow brass cylinder has embossed on its outer surface the numbers and letters for an 80-column IBM punch card. Sections of the card are for several quantities associated with shipping (amount, miles, hours, job number, account number, rate per hour, department number, order number, day, month, etc.) The cylinder was used to print the IBM cards. According to the donor, the object dates from the early 1960s.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1960s
- maker
- IBM
- ID Number
- 1995.0248.01
- accession number
- 1995.0248
- catalog number
- 1995.0248.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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IBM 001Card Punch
- Description
- For the first half of the 20th century, much data was entered into data processing machines using punched cards. This machine for punching such cards was manufactured by International Business Machines Corporation of New York.
- This key-driven, manual punch has 14 black keys. Twelve are for the 12 rows on a punch card. These are labeled from 0 to 9, X, and blank. Another key moves the card one space to the left and the last releases it. Keys are fed in from the right. A portion of a punch card attached in back of the machine has a pointer attached to it which allows one to determine the column of the card one is punching. The device is set up for 80-column cards and punches rectangular holes. A cylindrical protrusion extends from the back of the machine.
- A metal tag attached to the front of the object reads: PROPERTY OF (/) INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. (/) 001-12036-JH (/) ENDICOTT, NEW YORK, U.S.A. A mark stamped into the back of the card bed reads: 01 202.Two rods are marked at the front below the punching position: 202.
- IBM cards with rectangular holes and 80 columns were introduced in 1928. Cards with 12 rows of holes date from the early 1930s.
- Reference:
- E. W. Pugh, Building IBM: Shaping an Industry and Its Technology, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1995, pp. 48–49.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- after 1930
- maker
- International Business Machines Corporation
- ID Number
- MA.333894
- accession number
- 304350
- catalog number
- 333894
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Commodore 201 Adding Machine
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Caere Button, Addition
- Description
- This square button has a white background with a green border. Black text inside the border reads: Addition. Addition 1. a part added; thus increasing the number of, 2. joining of one thing to another. On the bottom left is the CAERE logo. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: Comdex 11/89.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- c 1989
- ID Number
- 2009.3071.210
- catalog number
- 2009.3071.210
- nonaccession number
- 2009.3071
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Rule, Forms Handling and Data Systems by Standard Register
- Description
- This stainless steel rule is designed for use in designing forms and program printouts. On one side it has a scale of equal parts 16 inches long divided to 1/32th of an inch, and another scale of 16 inches divided into 160 parts (10 per inch). The other side has a scale 40 centimeters long divided to half centimeters. There also is a scale of form widths in inches, and a scale of equal parts ranging from 0 to 96. There also are scales of file hole spacings.
- A mark on the object reads: FORM HANDLING AND DATA SYSTEMS (/) BY STANDARD REGISTER. Another mark reads: CHICAGO (/) ETCHING (/) CORPORATION.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Chicago Etching Corporation
- ID Number
- 2010.0239.03
- catalog number
- 2010.0239.03
- accession number
- 2010.0239
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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IBM 749809 Punch Card, Employee's Statement of Earnings and Deductions, U.S. Naval Gun Factory
- Description
- This punch card gives a statement of earnings and deductions for an employee of the U.S. Naval Gun Factory in Washington, D.C. in March of 1947. The card itself is not punched, although it lists a tag number, gross earnings, deductions, net pay, and the pay date. A mark on the card reads: EMPLOYEE' S STATEMENT OF EARNINGS AND DEDUCTIONS (/) U.S. NAVAL GUN FACTORY (/) WASHINGTON, D.C.
- The object was collected from the files of departing curator David K. Allison. It's origin is unknown.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1947
- 1947
- ca 1947
- maker
- IBM
- ID Number
- 2015.3169.07
- nonaccession number
- 2015.3169
- catalog number
- 2015.3169.07
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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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
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Remington Rand P-11782 Punch Card
- Description
- This 90-column punch card has columns in two rows. Round punches indicate the letters from A through Z and the digits from 0 to 9 in the top row, and the digits 0 to 9 and letters A to Z in the bottom row.
- Reference:
- Sperry Rand Corporation, Glossary Systems Design and Programming Terminology, 1960, p. 5. This is 2015.3097.03. The card was received in this glossary.
- date made
- ca 1960
- maker
- Remington Rand Univac
- ID Number
- 2015.3097.02
- nonaccession number
- 2015.3097
- catalog number
- 2015.3097.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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IBM 811970 Production and Inventory Control Punch Card
- Description
- This eighty-column paper punch card is tan with a green stripe across the bottom. There is space for punches and for entering text. Fields include invoice number, qantity ordered or shipped, quantity manufacturing, customer name, schedule date, state, office number, customer code number, invoice number, and date schedule.
- Six round holes are punched in the card, although these do not fit the design of numbers in the columns.
- The card was received with tabulating machine 1990.0693.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1930
- 1930 roughly
- ca 1930
- maker
- IBM
- ID Number
- 1990.0693.01.03
- catalog number
- 1990.0693.01.03
- accession number
- 1990.0693
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Software on CD (Computer Viruses), The Collection, Outlaws from America's Wild West Release 2.00
- Description
- The compact disc contains live computer viruses (over 500 viruses), anti-virus programs and utilities, source listings for viruses, virus simulator programs, virus information programs and text, virus creation tools, and newsletters and literature related to viruses. Title of the cd is "The Collection Outlaws from America's Wild West." It was sold by American Eagle Publications, Inc. in Tucson, Arizona for "serious researchers and programmers who have a legitimate need to know the information it contains." The copyright date is 1996 and the release version is 2.00.
- See related object 2017.3018.01
- copyright date
- 1996
- publisher; distributor
- American Eagle Publications, Inc.
- ID Number
- 2017.3018.02
- nonaccession number
- 2017.3018
- catalog number
- 2017.3018.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Software on CD, The Collection, Outlaws from America's Wild West Release 1.00
- Description
- The compact disc contains live computer viruses (over 500 viruses), anti-virus programs and utilities, source listings for viruses, virus simulator programs, virus information programs and text, virus creation tools, and newsletters and literature related to viruses. Title of the cd is "The Collection Outlaws from America's Wild West." It was sold by American Eagle Publications, Inc. in Tucson, Arizona for "serious researchers and programmers who have a legitimate need to know the information it contains." The copyright date is 1994 and the release version is 1.00.
- See related object 2017.3018.02
- copyright date
- 1994
- publisher; distributor
- American Eagle Publications, Inc.
- ID Number
- 2017.3018.01
- nonaccession number
- 2017.3018
- catalog number
- 2017.3018.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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GraphLock Brochure
- Description
- This GraphLock advertising brochure describes their scientific graphing calculator application for mobile phones. The product was designed to bring equality and affordability for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education.
- The application has a lock-down mode which prevents text messages and phone calls from coming in and disables internet access. Teachers can customize the calculator by choosing the features their students can access. The application also allows one to send messages to all students or to individual students.
- This and other objects in this acquisition were collected at the Joint Mathematics Meeting of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America held in January 2017.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 2017
- distributor
- GraphLock Incorporated
- ID Number
- 2017.3121.03
- nonaccession number
- 2017.3121
- catalog number
- 2017.3121.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
WebAssign Brochure
- Description
- This double-sided football shaped advertisement is printed on heavy card stock. The obverse has a red, pale red, and white background designed to look like a laced football. At the bottom in the center it reads “WebAssign®.” The reverse is white with black and red lettering that reads “Keep Your Students in the Game. Check out WebAssign’s Sports Question Bank of sports-theme math and statistics questions designed to increase student engagement. Available free for Web Assign users. This question bank is suitable for any algebra through precalculus course or introductory statistics course. webassign.com/sports.”
- WebAssign is a customizable online instructional application that enables a teacher to deploy homework assignments, tests and practice problems. WebAssign materials focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) disciplines. Course content includes questions, exercises, problems, simulations, videos, tutorials, and digital versions of select textbooks. Topics available include Accounting, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Geoscience, Mathematics, Physical Science, Physics, Social Studies, and Statistics. It purportedly provides quick feedback--topics needing more review are easily determined by both teacher and student.
- This web application permits teachers to use existing courses, create their own, and/or customize existing assignments by adding their own questions.
- It includes options to promote academic honesty such as:
- - Randomized question values - assigns a different value to each student’s question thus each student will have a different answer.
- - Question pool - each student assigned a varied question set.
- - Randomized question order - questions displayed in a different order.
- - Question set changes - new set of questions used for each term.
- - Password protection - set for assignments.
- - Time limit - set for completion of work.
- - Access restriction - only certain IP addresses allowed access.
- - Application restriction - prevents access to any other applications while taking the test.
- This and other objects in this acquisition were collected at the Joint Mathematics Meeting of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America held in January 2017.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 2017
- ID Number
- 2017.3121.04
- nonaccession number
- 2017.3121
- catalog number
- 2017.3121.04
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Punch Card Used to Retrieve U.S. Patent Papers
- Description
- This cream colored punch card has 53 columns versus the standard IBM 80 column punch card. The card is marked PO-33, PATENT ORDER (Letter Unit) on the left edge.
- The following information is punched and printed on the card: patent number (1256951), quantity (001), customer number (002775), serv. code (02), month (1), day (75).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 2017.3122.04
- nonaccession number
- 2017.3122
- catalog number
- 2017.3122.04
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Commuter Portable Computer Leaflet
- Description
- This tri-fold paper leaflet is an advertisement for the Commuter microcomputer by Visual Computer Incorporated.
- The outside has a red background with white text. The right (cover) fold has an image of a woman wearing a business suit and high-heeled shoes carrying a Commuter microcomputer with text that reads: "COMMUTER THE PORTABLE COMPUTER. THE PORTABLE COMPUTER FOR PEOPLE GOING PLACES."
- The center fold has an image of the microcomputer closed, and the left fold has an image of it open.
- The inside has a white background with black and red text that describes the microcomputer's features and specifications.
- The objects in accession 2017.0321 and non-accession 2017.3153 are related.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 2017.3153.01
- nonaccession number
- 2017.3153
- catalog number
- 2017.3153.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
ComputerLand Name Tag
- Description
- This plastic name tag has a dark blue background with white text that reads: JAMES EGAN. Above the name is a white ComputerLand logo. On the back is a metal pin.
- James Egan, Joseph Alfieri, Robert Kurland, and Thomas Vandermeulen of Facks Computer, Inc. were the owners of the first ComputerLand store in Manhattan.
- ComputerLand was a nationwide chain of retail computer stores. They opened their first store in 1976 in Hayward, California. By 1990 most stores had closed and in early 1999 the company officially disbanded.
- The objects in accession 2017.0321 and non-accession 2017.3153 are related.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 2017.3153.03
- nonaccession number
- 2017.3153
- catalog number
- 2017.3153.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
ComputerLand Photograph
- Description
- This 8" x 10" black and white photograph shows four men with a ComputerLand poster behind them and a continuous feed matrix printer in front of them. James Egan is the man on the right. The other men are likely his three partners, Joseph Alfieri, Robert Kurland, and Thomas Vandermeulen.
- James Egan, Joseph Alfieri, Robert Kurland, and Thomas Vandermeulen of Facks Computer, Inc. were the owners of the first ComputerLand store in Manhattan.
- ComputerLand was a nationwide chain of retail computer stores. They opened their first store in 1976 in Hayward, California. By 1990 most stores had closed and in early 1999 the company officially disbanded.
- The objects in accession 2017.0321 and non-accession 2017.3153 are related.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 2017.3153.04
- nonaccession number
- 2017.3153
- catalog number
- 2017.3153.04
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
ComputerLand NYC Store Images
- Description
- These four color Polaroid photographs, taken in 1981, show the interior of the first ComputerLand store to open in Manhattan. James Egan was one of four owners.
- In the first pair of images, Egan is the man in the light brown suit and the man kneeling in front of three people in ViewSonic bird costumes.
- The second pair of images are of interior views of the store with customers browsing.
- James Egan, Joseph Alfieri, Robert Kurland, and Thomas Vandermeulen of Facks Computer, Inc. were the owners of the first ComputerLand store in Manhattan.
- ComputerLand was a nationwide chain of retail computer stores. They opened their first store in 1976 in Hayward, California. By 1990 most stores had closed and in early 1999 the company officially disbanded.
- The objects in accession 2017.0321 and non-accession 2017.3153 are related.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1981
- ID Number
- 2017.3153.07
- nonaccession number
- 2017.3153
- catalog number
- 2017.3153.07
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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