History of Computers - IBM 701

By Alex Buckman

Introduction

After the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, IBM Chairman Thomas J. Watson asked the US Government what he could do to help. Build a large scientific computer, one that could be used for aircraft design, nuclear development, and munitions manufacturing, they told him. IBM had already built computers like this before, but they needed to produce multiple clones of a large-scale machine, which presented a problem for them. Eventually, they created the IBM 701 .

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/computinghistory/701.html

Overview

The IBM 701 was the first IBM large-scale electronic computer manufactured in quantity, the first commercially available scientific computer, and according to IBM, the first commercially successful general-purpose computer . A general-purpose computer is any computer-based device that accepts different applications . It was initially announced to the public on April 29, 1952 . This computer would eventually be manufactured only 19 times, and it was sent to atomic research labs, aircraft companies, other research facilities, government agencies (it was the first computer to be used by the Department of Defense), the navy, and one went to the United States Weather Bureau .

http://www.computermuseum.li/Testpage/IBM-701.htm

The computer could perform 16,000 addition or subtraction operations a second, read 12,500 digits a second from tape, print 180 letters or numbers a second, and output 400 digits a second from punched-cards . It had a printer, readers, recorders, and the worlds first Magnetic Tape Unit . Magnetic tape storage is digital storage on magnetic tape, and was adapted from audio recording and playback, which had been used since World War 2. This was created to eventually take the place of punched cards, and it is more often used in cartridges and cassettes .

Significance

This computer is very important to the history of computers, as well as today. It was the first successful general-purpose computer, and it went on to be used to help the United States government with the Korean War, as well as in many other tasks. It introduced the Magnetic Tape Storage, which was used for a very long time in cassettes, cartridges, and many other things. This helped develop computer storage into what it is today. It also pioneered commercially available computers, and although it was not really available to the public, it helped aid in the mass production of computers in the future. This computer was very significant to the history of computers and modern times.

External Links

http://www.computermuseum.li/Testpage/IBM-701.htm