Computers & Business Machines

Slides Showing Fractals

Description

These twenty slides, prepared by the American mathematician John Hubbard of Cornell University, show computer-generated graphics of fractals. They were collected-for-the-museum from Hubbard on a February 28, 1985, visit to Cornell.

Location

Currently not on view

date made

ca 1985

ID Number

1985.3088.03

nonaccession number

1985.3088

catalog number

1985.3088.03

Data Source

National Museum of American History

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

Autopoint Mechanical Pencil

Description

This 5-3/4" black plastic and chrome-plated mechanical pencil is marked near its top: CHICAGO Autopoint USA (/) PATD AND PATS PEND. The word "Autopoint" is in script. The end of the pencil above the mark uncaps to reveal an eraser. A metal clip allows the pencil to be secured in a shirt pocket. The pen is stored in a rectangular gray cardboard box marked: Pencil Used by H H sr. (c[h]rome plated).

Autopoint began manufacturing mechanical pencils in Chicago in 1918. Inventors assigned at least 30 patents to Autopoint between 1918 and 1929. One of the patents referred to on this pencil was taken out by Frank Deli of Chicago, for a metal pin that screwed into a threaded cylinder inside the pencil tip and thus acted to propel the lead. The diameter of the pin suggests the lead width was about 1 mm. The body of the pencil was to be made from bakelite or a similar plastic. Deli applied for his patent in 1921, although it was not granted until 1925. Bakelite, the plastics manufacturer, owned an interest in Autopoint from the 1920s to the 1940s. After several corporate acquisitions and reorganizations, Autopoint moved to Janesville, Wisc., in 1979, where it continues operations.

His daughter-in-law reported that Herman Hollerith Sr. owned this pencil. Hollerith (1860–1929) trained as a mining engineer. He joined the U.S. Census Office in 1879, where he pioneered the development of punch cards for tabulating machines. These machines dramatically sped up the processing of data in the 1890 census. In 1896 he founded the Tabulating Machine Company, which merged with three other companies in 1911 and became the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) in 1924. Hollerith retired in 1921 and raised cattle on a farm in Maryland until his death, so he presumably acquired the pencil during his retirement. For depictions and examples of Hollerith machines, see 1977.0503.01, 1977.0503.02, and 2011.3121.01, MA.312896, MA.335634, MA.335635, and MA.333894. See also the NMAH object group on tabulating machines, http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object-groups/tabulating-equipment.

References: Autopoint, Inc., "About Us," http://autopointinc.com/about-us; Frank C. Deli, "Pencil" (U.S. Patent 1,552,123 issued September 1, 1925); Robert L. Bolin, "Web Resources Concerning the Mechanical Pencil Industry in Chicago," http://unllib.unl.edu/Bolin_resources/pencil_page/index.htm; William R. Aul, "Herman Hollerith: Data Processing Pioneer," Think, November 1972, http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/builders/builders_hollerith.html; United States Census Bureau, "Herman Hollerith," http://www.census.gov/history/www/census_then_now/notable_alumni/herman_hollerith.html.

Location

Currently not on view

date made

1921-1929

maker

Autopoint, Inc.

ID Number

1977.0503.03

catalog number

336122

accession number

1977.0503

Data Source

National Museum of American History

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

Graphic Technology Continuous Forms Planning Rule

Description

This steel rule was used to design forms to be printed continuously on a dot matrix printer. On one side along one long edge, it has a 16" scale divided to 1/32" for the first two inches and then to 1/16". Every 1/8" increment is numbered, corresponding to the vertical spacing of characters on some printouts made by IBM computers. Each inch division up to 9 is labeled with a number of punch cards, starting at 160 cards at the 1" mark and going up to 1,280 cards. A hole 3/16" in diameter is placed at each 1/4" and 3/4" mark up to 11-3/4" (24 holes total). These were used for setting pinfeed holes down the side of the forms for continuous feeding.

The lower left corner has four holes 7/16" in diameter, and four holes 5/8" in diameter are in the lower right corner. These were used in designing holes to be punched in forms so that they could be easily filed in folders. The other long edge has a 40 cm scale divided to millimeters. This side is marked: GTi GRAPHIC TECHNOLOGY, INC. (/) 9910 Widmer Road P.O. Box 14646 Lenexa, Kansas 66215 (/) (913) 492-9615. It is also marked: • BAR CODED SHELF LABELS (/) • CASE AND PRICE LABELS (/) • SHELF MOLDING, CHIPS, ETC. (/) • CUSTOM PRESSURE SENSITIVE LABELS. The left end is marked: MADE IN U.S.A. (/) No. 16M8. Between the lines of this mark is a deer leaping to the right through a letter D. This logo is presumably for the company that manufactured the rule, but it was apparently not used by the John Deere Company.

The back of the rule has a scale divided to 1/12" and numbered in 1/6" increments, from 1 to 96, along one long edge. The other long edge has a scale divided to 1/10" and numbered from 1 to 160. These scales also correspond to vertical spacing of characters in computer printouts. Compare to 2006.0174.03.

Benjamin S. Mulitz (b. 1919), the donor, worked with punched card equipment and computers from 1940 until 1985. He used both Remington Rand and IBM products. He was employed by the federal government and then in the wholesale drug industry. Graphic Technology, Inc., operated under that name from 1975 to 2004, when the label-maker was purchased by Vestcom International.

References: Stephen Roth, "JoCo Printer Affixes New Owner Label," Kansas City Business Journal, December 26, 2004, http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2004/12/27/story1.html; accession file.

Location

Currently not on view

date made

1975–2004

ID Number

2006.0174.04

accession number

2006.0174

catalog number

2006.0174.04

Data Source

National Museum of American History

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

Cromemco C-10

Description

In 1974 Stanford University doctoral graduates Harry Garland and Roger Melen established a partnership named for their former dormitory Crothers Memorial Hall. Cromemco was formally incorporated in 1976. For the life of the company Garland and Melen remained the sole shareholders and avoided outside investment. At the insistence of their accountant, the company held a bank credit line but never had to tap the full amount. Their business philosophy was to grow only within the parameters of available cash. Revenues in 1975 were $50,000 and grew to an estimated $55 million by 1987 when the owners sold the company to Dynatech.

The company’s first products were a microcomputer system digital camera, the Cyclops, and a color graphics card called the Dazzler. From these products the company moved on to making reliable, high-quality business and scientific computers and in 1982, they introduced the C-10 Personal Computer. Cromemco systems were the first commercially marketed microcomputer certified by the U.S. Navy for use aboard ships and Ohio class submarines for data logging during tests. The United States Air Force became a major customer for their Theater Air Control System (TACS) and the Mission Support System (MSS) for F-16, F-15 and other aircraft. By 1986 more than 80 percent of the major-market television stations in the U.S. used Cromemco systems to produce news and weather graphics.

According to the user manual, “The C-10’s high-quality construction, continual self-testing, and proven design assure that it will perform faithfully year after year.”

This Cromemco C-10 microcomputer was used at Monroe High School in Monroe, MI from 1982-2008. In 1980 physics teacher Darol Straub started an after school computer class which led to the development of the school’s first formal computer curriculum. To be accepted into the course, students were required to take an aptitude entrance test. Classes were two periods per day for three years. Hardware and software topics included basic circuits to microcomputer design and building, and programming in binary code and assembly language as well as higher level languages such as BASIC, FORTRAN, PASCAL, COBOL, and “C.” The third year focused on developing advanced projects using speech recognition, numeric control, fiber optic communication, graphic design, and robotics.

Many of Straub’s students went on to college to study computer science and earned jobs with companies such as Microsoft and Intel. Two brothers who completed the curriculum opened a computer company when they graduated from high school. According to Mr. Straub, the company was still in business in 2018. The brother of the donor, also a student of Straub’s, graduated from Monroe High School in 2009 and MIT in 2013. He now works for Space X.

In 1988 the Computer Engineering Program students produced a 20 minute video “Monroe High School – Current Generation” which the school used to promote and recruit new students for the course.

Location

Currently not on view

date made

ca 1982

user

Straub, Darol

Gagnon, Blair

maker

Cromemco Inc.

ID Number

2018.0113.01

accession number

2018.0113

catalog number

2018.0113.01

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Moore Business Forms Continuous Forms Planning Rule

Description

This steel rule was used in the design of early computer printouts produced by dot matrix printers. The rule has a scale of 18" along one side, divided to 1/32" for the first two inches and then to 1/16". Each inch division, up to 17, is labeled with a number of punch cards, starting with 140 cards at 1" and going up to 2,380 cards. A hole 3/16" in diameter is placed at each 1/4" and 3/4" mark up to 11-1/4" (23 holes total). These were used for setting pinfeed holes down the side of the forms for continuous feeding.

The center of the instrument has four holes 7/16" in diameter and four holes 5/8" in diameter. These are for designing holes to be punched in forms for filing. The front of the rule also has a scale of inches divided to 1/10", with subdivisions numbered from 1 to 130. This scale is a printer spacing chart, allowing the user to determine the space required for fields to be printed on the form, since each character required 1/10" of space. The rule is marked: MOORE BUSINESS FORMS, INC. Branches across the (/) United States & Canada. It is also marked at the right end: MADE IN U.S.A.

The back of the rule has a scale of inches divided to 1/12" along one edge. Along the other edge is a scale in units of 5/32" that is numbered from 1 to 100. A scale labeled "RG" has divisions the same size and is numbered from 1 to 45. This side is also marked: MOORE BUSINESS FORMS, INC. Branches across the (/) United States & Canada.

According to the donor, the 18"-size rule was considered more desirable than a 16" such as the example in the collections made by Graphic Technology (see 2006.0174.04). Fanfold paper such as that manufactured by Moore Business Forms was used from the mid-1950s into the 2000s, in association with both punched card equipment and computers.

Reference: "RR Donnelley Business Forms History," http://www.rrdonnelley.com/print-solutions/forms/history.aspx.

Location

Currently not on view

date made

mid 20th century

ID Number

2006.0174.03

catalog number

2006.0174.03

accession number

2006.0174

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

ComputerLand Photograph

Description

This 5" x 7" black and white photograph shows James Egan sitting at a desk with computers and software on it. He has a foot on the desk, a coffee filter on his head, and is pouring a drink into a cup. Next to his chair is a sign that reads: SEND HELP. On the back, written in pencil, are the dates 1981-1982.

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

1981-1982

ID Number

2017.3153.06

nonaccession number

2017.3153

catalog number

2017.3153.06

Data Source

National Museum of American History

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

Pamphlet, The Totalisator

Description

The inventor and electrical engineer Leith Johnston (1899-1987) gave an address to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers in which he described the way in which an electrical totalizator could be used in betting at racetracks. This undated illustrated pamphlet contains extracts from that talk. For a related object see 1990.0008.01.

Location

Currently not on view

maker

Johnston & Murphy

ID Number

1990.0008.02

accession number

1990.0008

catalog number

1990.0008.02

Data Source

National Museum of American History