Was a phone call a nickel back then?
My english prof. told us if somebody in any of his classes could tell him how a nickel started the computer industry they would receive some major bonus points. It's been 5 months and nobody has found it out yet. I have looked everywhere possiable to try to find this.
A business man gave another man a nickel in new york and somehow started the computer as we know it. I think he said it was in the late 1960's. Please if anybody happens to know this let me know.
Was a phone call a nickel back then?
Well, IBM started in business making tills ("business machines"). But that was before the 1960s.
1939, January 1: Hewlett Packard is founded by William Hewlett and David Packard. the story goes that a flip of a coin decided who's name would come first.
???
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hey Pete,Originally posted by erskoman:
1939, January 1: Hewlett Packard is founded by William Hewlett and David Packard. the story goes that a flip of a coin decided who's name would come first.
???
That sounds like it! I emailed the prof. the link I found it on so we'll see if thats it when ever he gets back. My fingers are crossed!
I found what you have HERE
Hmmmmm....I've heard many debates about the origins of the computer, but never one involving a nickel.
My day gig is an industry that uses a lot of Hewlett Packard (now Agilent) test equipment. I usually read through their "history-of-HP" type of stuff, but I've never come across the nickel-tossing story. It may be true...just haven't heard it before.
I don't think HP put their name on any computer equipment until the 1960's or 1970's. The Apple computer is generally thought to be the first "personal computer" as we know it now, but they didn't start on that until around the mid-1970's.
It is generally accepted that Alan Turing is the father of the modern day computer, although he never really built a device (as far as I know). He made major contributions to WWII as an encryption expert. That man was a genious and may have had the single most important role in the Allied Nations winning WWII...but I digress.
(As a side note...one of the retired professors at the Math department where I went to school served as an encryption expert in WWII. He came in and spoke to our class one day...it was just fascinating to hear his recollection of the war...but I further digress....)
Other positions on the first "real" computer include Napier's Bones (1800's) and a big mechanical rig that functioned like a computer, but the guts were an array of mechanical gears, rather than vacuum tubes (I forget the name, but I think it was developed at an American university in the 1930's or 40's).
Well, now that I think about it, I guess none of that will help you get the extra credit. Sorry...I kind of geek out on the history of technology. In any event, good luck, and let us know what the prof. says about it.
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ December 12, 2004 09:53 PM: Message edited by: mja61 ]</font>
mja61
Always good to run into another Turing admirer!
PE
Kurt,
That's right ... just did some google-ing; here's the complete entry, which would correspond with mja61's observations:
"January 1: Hewlett Packard is founded by William Hewlett and David Packard. the story goes that a flip of a coin decided who's name would come first.
Their first product is an audio oscillator built in a garage in Palo Alto (California USA) for Walt Disney's animation picture Fantasia(18). This is a better and cheaper product then the one of their competition. And the coming 30 years HP will be the largest firm producing test and measurement devices. Only in 1966 HP will start operating on the computer market and much later on the mini and mainframe market. With the consumers HP will be primarily known for its laser printers and inkjet printers."
Good luck!
PE
I'm still tempted by the IBM angle. Their SSEC computer is said to be the first "real" (general-purpose, stored program) computer, and it was "donated" by Thomas J Watson to someone (Columbia? Harvard?). It wouldn't surprise me if a token nickel changed hands or something.
I thought you where right Pete but it seems that wasn't what he was looking for. He told me it had to do something with Berklee and something to do with gold. Now I'm really clueless now! I'm going to look up that IBM thing when I have time today.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks