THIS SECTION PROVIDES AN HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY OF COMPUTING MACHINES
USING ARTIFACTS FROM THE COLLECTION
-
THE SECTION IS NOT EXCLUSIVE TO MAINFRAMES
BUT RATHER SPANS THE HISTORY OF LARGER COMPUTATIONAL DEVICES


THE FIRST GENERATION OF COMPUTERS USED VACUUM TUBES (1946-1959)
A HUGE AMOUNT WERE REQUIRED AND THEY WERE LARGE HOT AND OFTEN FAILING

THE SECOND GENERATION OF COMPUTERS USED TRANSISTORS (1959-1964)
THE TRANSISTOR WAS INVENTED BY BELL LABS ON DECEMBER 16, 1947
COMPARED TO THE VACUUM TUBE - THE TRANSISTOR WAS MORE RELIABLE / MORE POWERFUL / LESS EXPENSIVE / SMALLER / AND PRODUCED LESS HEAT
THRYRATONS/TRIONODES/MAGNETIC AMPLIFIERS WERE ATTEMPTED - BUT NONE GAINED A REAL FOOTHOLD - AND THE TRANSISTOR WON OUT

THE THIRD GENERATION OF COMPUTERS USED INTEGRATED CIRCUITS "ICs" (1964-1971)
THE IC WAS CREATED BY FAIRCHILD AND TEXAS INSTRUMENTS IN 1959
TRANSISTORS STILL GENERATED A LOT OF HEAT - DAMAGING NEARBY SENSITIVE COMPONENTS - LEADING TO THE IC TAKING OVER

THE FOURTH GENERATION OF COMPUTERS REALIZED SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENTS IN MINITURIZATION AND PERFORMANCE OF ICs (1971-PRESENT)
VLSI "VERY LARGE SCALE INTEGRATION" CONTAINS THOUSANDS OF TRANSISTORS ON A SINGLE CIRCUIT
AND
ULSI "ULTRA LARGE SCALE INTEGRATION CONTAINS 1 MILLION + TRANSISTORS ON A SINGLE CIRCUIT

WE NEED HELP IDENTIFYING SOME OF THE TRICKIER COMPONENTS WE HAVE RUN INTO
CLICK TO TAKE A TOUR OF THE MORE OBSCURE PIECES IN THE COLLECTION
HOLLERITH
TABULATOR
PATENTED 1889
THE COLLECTION
DIAL
IBM
TYPE 001 PUNCH
INTRODUCED 1901
THE COLLECTION
CARD PUNCH
GOODYEAR
GEDA
INTRODUCED 1947
THE COLLECTION
PLUG
IBM
604
DATE OF FIRST MANUFACTURE 1948
FIRST IBM MACHINE TO USE VACUUM TUBE PLUGGABLE UNITS
THE COLLECTION
PLUGGABLE UNITS
REMINGTON RAND
UNIVAC I
FIRST DELIVERED 1951
FIRST COMMERCIAL COMPUTER IN THE US
THE COLLECTION
VACUUM TUBE
IBM
701
ANNOUNCED 1952
IBMs FIRST PRODUCTION COMPUTER
THE COLLECTION
PLUGGABLE UNIT
753 BANNER
IBM
650
ANNOUNCED 1953
FIRST MASS PRODUCED COMPUTER
THE COLLECTION
PLUGGABLE UNITS
655 BANNER
IBM
704
ANNOUNCED 1954
THE COLLECTION
CONSOLE SWITCHES
746 SWITCHES
US AIR FORCE
SAGE SYSTEM
STARTED 1954
THE LARGEST COMPUTER SYSTEM EVER BUILT
THE COLLECTION
CIRCUIT BOARDS
PLUG UNIT FRAMES
INPUT KNOB
UNIVAC
FILE COMPUTER
INTRODUCED 1956
UNIVACs FIRST RANDOM ACCESS COMPUTER
THE COLLECTION
PLUGBOARD
BANNER
BENDIX
G-15
INTRODUCED 1956
THE COLLECTION
CONTROL PANEL
CIRCUIT BOARDS
BOARD TESTER
DA-1 POWER PANEL
IBM
709
ANNOUNCED 1957
THE COLLECTION
PLUGGABLE UNITS
EAI
131R/231R
INTRODUCED 1957 (131R)
THE COLLECTION
POT-PADDERS
CONTROL PANEL
ATTENUATOR PANELS
RCA
501
INTRODUCED 1958
THE COLLECTION
READ/WRITE HEAD DISPLAY
GENERAL ELECTRIC
ERMA/GE-210
INTRODUCED 1958
THE COLLECTION
MODULE
CIRCUIT BOARDS
UNIVAC
SOLID-STATE
ANNOUNCED 1958
THE COLLECTION
ENGINEERS PANEL
UNIVAC
LARC
DELIVERED 1960
ONLY TWO EVER BUILT
THE COLLECTION
CIRCUIT BOARDS
CIRCUIT BOARD BOX
DEC
PDP-1
DELIVERED 1960
THE COLLECTION
MODULE
GENERAL ELECTRIC
GE-225
INTRODUCED 1960
THE COLLECTION
CIRCUIT BOARDS
IBM
1720
INTRODUCED 1961
ONLY THREE EVER MANUFACTURED
THE COLLECTION
CONTROL CONSOLE
3C
DDP-24
INTRODUCED 1961
THE COLLECTION
S-BLOCK
PHILCO
2000 MODEL 212
INTRODUCED 1962
THE COLLECTION
NPN TRANSISTORS
CIRCUIT BOARDS
IBM
7010
INTRODUCED 1962
THE COLLECTION
BANNER
DEC
PDP-6
DEVELOPED 1963
DECs FIRST LARGE SCALE MACHINE
THE COLLECTION
834 POWER CONTROL
CDC
3600
FIRST DELIVERED 1963
THE COLLECTION
READ/WRITE HEAD
UNIVAC
1004
INTRODUCED 1963
THE COLLECTION
PLUG BOARD
NASA APOLLO PROGRAM
LVDC
INTRODUCED 1964
THE COLLECTION
LOGIC PAGE
MEMORY MODULES
MEMORY BOARD
HONEYWELL
DDP-516
INTRODUCED 1966
THE COLLECTION
MEMORY MODULES
US NAVY
TRISAT ID/IFF
FIRST COMPLETED 1969
THE COLLECTION
CIRCUIT BOARDS
UNIVAC
1710
INTRODUCED 1969
THE COLLECTION
BANNER
PRIME COMPUTER INC
PRIME 200 / 100
RELEASED 1972
THE COLLECTION
MEMORY BOARD
UNIVAC
SYSTEM 80
INTRODUCED 1981
THE COLLECTION
CARD PULLER

BRL REPORTS FROM ED-THELEN.ORG
SOME HISTORICAL INFO AT TOP OBTAINED FROM UNISYS HISTORY NEWSLETTER VOL 1 NUM 2 1992