Search Results

Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Subject:

Mayr, Otto  Search this

Hindle, Brooke  Search this

Taylor, Frank A (Frank Augustus) 1903-2007  Search this

Multhauf, Robert P  Search this

Boorstin, Daniel J (Daniel Joseph) 1914-2004  Search this

Kennedy, Roger G  Search this

Crew, Spencer R. 1949-  Search this

Ewers, John C (John Canfield) 1909-1997  Search this

Kidwell, Claudia Brush  Search this

Glass, Brent D  Search this

Gray, John  Search this

Fruchter, Susan  Search this

Hartig, Anthea M  Search this

Pachter, Marc  Search this

National Museum of History and Technology  Search this

United States National Museum  Search this

Museum of History and Technology (U.S.)  Search this

Type:

Mixed archival materials

Date:

1957

1957-

Topic:

Science museums  Search this

Historical museums  Search this

Local number:

SIA AH00005

Data Source:

Smithsonian Institution Archives

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_arc_218078

Creator:

National Zoo  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2013-10-17T14:24:06.000Z

YouTube Category:

Science & Technology  Search this

Topic:

Zoology;Animals;Veterinary medicine;Animal health  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianNZP

Data Source:

National Zoo

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianNZP

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_ArSn8Jq5hkA

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution Archives  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2016-09-14T17:44:13.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Museum administration  Search this

See more by:

SIArchives

Data Source:

Smithsonian Institution Archives

YouTube Channel:

SIArchives

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_xjUIQfv9UVo

Creator:

Blanch, Gertrude  Search this

Bloch, Richard M.  Search this

Bradburn, James  Search this

Brainerd, John G.  Search this

Brown, George W.  Search this

Brown, Gordon S.  Search this

Buchholz, Werner  Search this

Burns, Robert  Search this

Atanasoff, John V.  Search this

Atchison, William  Search this

Auerbach, Issac  Search this

Bartik, Jean  Search this

Bauer, William  Search this

Beek, Allan  Search this

Bernstein, Mort  Search this

Bigelow, Julian  Search this

Coleman, [Ichel?]  Search this

Cohen, I. Bernhard  Search this

Computer History Forum.  Search this

COT Meeting.  Search this

Coombs, John  Search this

Crawford, Perry O.  Search this

Couret, Lynn  Search this

Campbell, Robert V.  Search this

Campaigne, Howard  Search this

Cannon, Edward  Search this

Canning, R.G.  Search this

Clem, Mary  Search this

Cass, James  Search this

CODASYL Meeting.  Search this

Clippinger, Richard F.  Search this

MIT Club Talks (Brown & Wiener).  Search this

Andrews, Ernest G.  Search this

American Federation of Information Processing Societies  Search this

Alt, Franz  Search this

Alrich, John  Search this

Association for Computing Machinery.  Search this

Association for Computing Machinery.  Search this

Argonne National Laboratories R.  Search this

Allard, Gerry  Search this

Aiken, Howard  Search this

Adams, Charles  Search this

Acton, Forman  Search this

Halstead, Maurice H.  Search this

Harmon, Leon  Search this

Harvey, Samuel  Search this

Hazen, Dean Harold  Search this

Gruenberger, Fred  Search this

Gunning, William  Search this

Hagen, Glenn E.  Search this

Hall, W.  Search this

Greenwald, Irwin  Search this

Greenwarld, Sidney  Search this

Griswold, Ralph E.  Search this

Grosch, Herbert R. J.  Search this

Goheen, Harry E.  Search this

Good, I.J.  Search this

Goteib, C.C.  Search this

Granholm, Jackson  Search this

Israel, David R.  Search this

Huskey, Harry D.  Search this

Kates, Josef  Search this

Juncosa, Mario  Search this

Householder, Alston S.  Search this

Horwitz, Bernhard R.  Search this

Hurd, Cuthbert R.  Search this

Howard, Bernard  Search this

Hopper, Grace Murray, 1906-1992  Search this

Holbrook, Bernard  Search this

Horner, Joseph  Search this

Horn, Robert J.  Search this

Herold, Henry  Search this

Herget, Paul  Search this

Holberton, Betty  Search this

Hertz, Ted  Search this

Elkins, Harold  Search this

Estrin, Gerald  Search this

Edwards, Walt  Search this

Elbourn, Robert  Search this

Eckert, J. Presper (John Presper), 1919-1995  Search this

Eddy, Robert Philip  Search this

Downey, William  Search this

Eckdahl, Donald  Search this

Dodd, Stephen  Search this

Dotts, Richard D.  Search this

Dietzhold, Robert  Search this

Dimsdale, Bernard  Search this

Desch, Joseph  Search this

Dickinson, Arthur H.  Search this

Curtiss, John H.  Search this

Dederick, [Louis?] S.  Search this

Glazer? T.  Search this

Givens, Wallace  Search this

Gill, Stanley  Search this

Geisler, Murray  Search this

Garrison, Ken  Search this

Frankel, Stanley  Search this

Forrester, Jay W.  Search this

Forrest, Cameron B.  Search this

Forbes, George  Search this

Fenaughty, Alfred L.  Search this

Fein, Louis  Search this

Feign, David  Search this

Farrand, William R.  Search this

Fall Joint Computer Conference, 12/6/72.  Search this

Fall Joint Computer Conference, 11/17/71.  Search this

Everett, Robert  Search this

Nelson, Eldred  Search this

Neisius, Vincent  Search this

Northrop, John  Search this

Neovius, G.  Search this

Parker, R.D.  Search this

Palevsky, Max  Search this

Phelps, Byron R.  Search this

Patrick, Robert  Search this

Pickrell, D.  Search this

Phister, Montgomery  Search this

Pollmyer, R.  Search this

Polachek, Harry  Search this

Quady, Emmett  Search this

Postley, John A. R.  Search this

Rajchman, Jan  Search this

Ream, Norman  Search this

Reed, Irving S.  Search this

Rees, Mina  Search this

Rhodes, Ida  Search this

Rice, Rex  Search this

Rochester, Nathaniel  Search this

Rogers, Jim  Search this

Rogers, Stanley  Search this

Rosenberg, Milton  Search this

Rosenthal, Paul R.  Search this

Rubinoff, Morris R.  Search this

Salzer, John M.  Search this

Samuel, Arthur L. R.  Search this

Sarkissian, Harold  Search this

Schuette, Roger  Search this

Serrell, Robert R.  Search this

King, Paul  Search this

Kilpatrick, Lester  Search this

Killian, James  Search this

Kaufold, Leroy R.  Search this

Lanzarotta, Sandy R.  Search this

Kreuder, Norman L.  Search this

Korn, Irving  Search this

Kirsch, Russell  Search this

Lovell, Clarence A.  Search this

Lehmer, Derrick H.  Search this

Legvold, Sam  Search this

Larson, Harry  Search this

Martin, Richard R.  Search this

Marden, Ethel  Search this

Madden, Don R.  Search this

Lowe, John  Search this

McPherson, John C.  Search this

Mendelson, Jerry  Search this

Mason, Daniel R.  Search this

Mauchly, John R.  Search this

Michel, J.G.L. R.  Search this

Miller, Frederick G.  Search this

Menzel, Donald H.  Search this

Metropolis, Nicholas C.  Search this

Mitchell, Joel  Search this

MITRE Meeting.  Search this

Mills, Roger L.  Search this

Morton, Paul  Search this

Mumford, Louis  Search this

Mock, Owen  Search this

Morse, Philip B.  Search this

Wilkinson, James H. R.  Search this

Wilkes, Maurice R.  Search this

Wizenbaum, Joe  Search this

Williams, Charles  Search this

Wieselman, Irving  Search this

Wiener, Robert  Search this

Wild, Arthur  Search this

Wieser, C. Robert  Search this

Wrench, John W. R.  Search this

Woodger, Michael  Search this

Yowell, E.C. R.  Search this

Youtz, Pat  Search this

Woo, Way Dong  Search this

Wolfe, Philip  Search this

Woodbury, William R.  Search this

Wood, Ben D.  Search this

Zemanek, Heinz  Search this

Zuse, Konrad  Search this

Smagorinsky, Joseph  Search this

Slutz, Ralph R.  Search this

Skramstad, Harold R.  Search this

Skillman, Sherwood R.  Search this

SIAM/SIGNUM Meeting.  Search this

SIAM-72.  Search this

SHARE XXXVIII.  Search this

SHARE Meeting for Pioneers.  Search this

Taylor, Norman  Search this

Tanaka, David  Search this

Strong, Jack  Search this

Stibitz, George  Search this

Steele, Floyd G. R.  Search this

Sprague, Richard E.  Search this

Snyder, Samuel  Search this

Smith, Charles V.L.  Search this

TV Program KQED.  Search this

Uncapher, Keith  Search this

Torfeh, Mark  Search this

Travis, Irven  Search this

Todd-Tausskky, Olga  Search this

Tomash, Erwin  Search this

Toben, Gregory  Search this

Todd, John  Search this

Wheeler, R.J.  Search this

Whirlwind Discussion.  Search this

Ware, Willis H.  Search this

Wegstein, Joseph Henry  Search this

Wagner, Frank  Search this

Wang, An R.  Search this

von Hippel, Arthur  Search this

von Neumann, John  Search this

Armer, Paul, 1924- (computer technician)  Search this

Rabinow, Jacob, 1910-  Search this

Source:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society  Search this

Former owner:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society  Search this

Extent:

43.5 Cubic feet (158 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Audiotapes

Interviews

Oral history

Sound recordings

Transcripts

Videotapes

Date:

1969-1973, 1977

Summary:

The Computer Oral History Collection (1969-1973, 1977), was a cooperative project of the American Federation of Information Processing Societies (AFIPS) and the Smithsonian Institution. This project began in 1967 with the main objective to collect, document, house, and make available for research source material surrounding the development of the computer.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of approximately 43.5 cubic feet of material documenting the development of the computer.

ABC -- Atanasoff-Berry Computer

ACE -- Automatic Computing Engine

ACM -- Association for Computing Machinery

ALGOL -- ALGOLrithmic Language

ALWAC -- Axel Wenner-Gren Automatic Computer

ARPA -- Advanced Research Projects Agency

BACAIC -- Boeing Airplane Company Algebraic Interpretative Computing System

BARK -- Binar Automatisk Rela Kalkylator

BINAC -- Binary Automatic Computer

BIZMAC -- Business Machine

BMEW -- Ballistic Missile Early Warning (System)

BUIC -- Back-up Interceptor Control

CADAC -- Cambridge Digital Automatic Computer

CALDIC -- California Digital Computer

CEC -- Consolidated Electrodynamics Corporation

CEIR -- Council for Economic and Industry Research

COBOL -- Common Business-Oriented Language

CODASYL -- Conference on Data Systems Languages

CONAC -- Continental Automatic Command

COMTRAN -- Commercial Translator

CPC -- Card Programmed Calculator

CRC -- Computer Response Corporation

DARPA -- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

DINA -- Digital Network Analyzer

DDA -- Digital Differential Analyzer

EDSAC -- Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator

EDVAC -- Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer

EAM -- Electric [or Electronic] Accounting Machines [or Methods]

ENIAC -- Electronic Numerical Integrator and Automatic Computer

ERA -- Engineering Research Associates

ERMA -- Electronic Recording and Machine Accounting

FADAC -- Field Artillery Data Computer

FSQ -- Fixed Special eQuipment

IAS -- Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton University)

ICBM -- Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

ILLIAC -- Illinois Automatic Computer

INTERCOM -- Intercommunication System (Programming Language)

JOHNNIAC -- John [von Neumann's ] Integrator and Automatic Computer

JOSS -- Johnniac [John's Integrator and Automatic Computer] Open Shop System

LARK -- Livermore Atomic Research Computer

LAS -- Laboratories of Applied Science

LGP -- Librascope

MAC -- Magnetic Automatic Calculator/Multiple Access Computer

MADDIDA -- Magnetic Drum Digital Differential Analyzer

MAGIC -- Machine for Automatic Graphics Interface to a Computer

MANIAC -- Mathematical Analyzer, Numerical Integrator, and Computer

MIDAC -- Michigan [University of] Digital Automatic Computer

MIDSAC -- Michigan [University of} Digital Special Automatic Computer

MINAC -- Minimal Automatic Computer

MIT -- Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MITRE -- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Establishment

MX -- Missile, Experimental

NATDAN -- North American Digital Anaylzer

NATPAC -- North American Programmed Automatic Computer

NDRC -- National Defense Research Committee [of Office of Scientific Research and Development, World War II]

NELIAC -- Naval Electronics Laboratory International Algebraic Compiler

NORC -- Naval Ordnance Research Calculator [or computer] [Naval Ordnance Proving Ground]

NTDS -- Naval Tactical Data Systems

ONR -- Office of Naval Research

ORACLE -- Oak Ridge Automatic Computer and Logical Engine

ORDVAC -- Ordnance Discrete Variable Automatic Computer [AEC]

OSRD -- Office of Standard Reference Data [National Bureau of Standards]

PACT -- Project for the Advancement of Coding Techniques

QUAC -- Quadratic Arc Computer

RAMAC -- Random Access Memory Accounting Machine

RAYDAC -- Raytheon Digital Automatic Computer

REAC -- Reeves Electronic Analog Computer

RECOMP -- Reliable COMPuter

RESISTOR -- Reusable Surface Insulation Stresses [NASA computer program]

SCERT -- Systems and Computer Evaluation Review Technique

SCM -- Smith Corona Merchant

SEAC -- U.S. Bureau of Standards Eastern Automatic Computer

SHARE -- Society to Help Avoid Redundant Effort

SHOT -- Society for the History of Technology

SIAM -- Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

SILLIAC -- Sydney [version of the ] Illiac

SIMSCRIPT -- Simulation Script

SNOBOL -- String-Oriented Symbolic Language

SSEC -- Selective Sequence Electronic Calculator

SUBROC -- Submarine Rocket

SWAC -- U.S. Bureau of Standards Western Automatic Computer

TPM -- Tape Processing Machine

UDEC -- United Digital Electronic Computer

UNIVAC -- Universal Automatic Computer

WEIZAC -- Weizmann Automatic Computer [at Weizmann Institute]

WISC -- Wisconsin Integrally Synchronized Computer

NT=No Transcript

R=Restricted

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into six series.

Series 1: Transcripts, 1967-1973, 1977

Series 2: Supplemental Documentation, 1922-1974

Series 3: Patents, 1940-1973

Series 4: John Vincent Atanasoff's Materials, 1927-1968

Series 5: Audio Tapes, 1967-1974, 1977

Series 6: Video Tapes, 1968-1972

Biographical / Historical:

The Computer Oral History Collection (1969-1973, 1977), was a cooperative project of the American Federation of Information Processing Societies (AFIPS) and the Smithsonian Institution. This project began in 1967 with the main objective to collect, document, house, and make available for research source material surrounding the development of the computer. The project collected taped oral interviews with individuals who figured prominently in developing or advancing the computer field and supplemental written documentation--working papers, reports, drawings, and photographs. The AFIPS provided the "seed" money to support the project and to aid the Smithsonian with its expenditures. Interviews were conducted by I.B. Cohen, A. Dettinger, Bonnie Kaplan, Elizabeth Luebbert, William Luebbert, Robina Mapstone, Richard Mertz, Uta Merzbach, and Henry Tropp. In some instances, the audio tapes and/or transcripts are not "formal" interviews, but rather moderated panel discussions/meetings, or lectures delivered by interviewees.

Related Materials:

The Archives Center contains several "computer" related collections:

American National Standards Institute, 1969-1979

Association for Computing Machinery Collection, 1958-1978 (Washington, D.C., Chapter)

N.W. Ayer Advertsing Agency Records, 1889-1972

Paul Armer Collection, 1949-1970

Robert G. Chamberlain Numerical Control Collection, 1954-1984

J. Childs Numerical Control Collection, 1952-1970

Computer Standards Collection, 1958-1978

Computer World Smithsonian Awards Collection, 1989-2001

Data Processing Digest Collection, 1955-1974

Max Holland Machine Tool Industry Collection, c. 1941-1990

Grace Murray Hopper Collection, 1944-1965

Information Age Exhibition Records, 1979-1990

Institute for Advanced Study Computer Project Records, 1950-1957

Instrument Society of America Collection, 1911-1969

Odex I Walking Robot Collection, 1973-1986

Jacob Rabinow Papers, 1910-1917; 1947-1990

Terry M. Sachs Collection, 1965-1969

Scientists and Inventors Portrait File, c. 1950-1980

Share Numerical Analysis Project Records, 1964-1970

SHARE Records, c. 1954-1984

Cliff Shaw papers, c. 1954-1985

Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) Records, 1956-1992

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, c. 1754-1965

Whirlwind I Computer Collection, 1945-1959

B.H. Worsley, 1946-1959

Within the National Museum of American History there are other related collections that may be found in the Division of Medicine and Science. These collections contain both artifacts and documents. Artifacts include: digital computing machines, automatic digital computers and electronic calculators, logic devices, card and tape processors, slide rules, integrators and integraphs, harmonic analyzers and synthesizers, differential analyzers, other analog computing devices, space measurement and representation, time measurement, and combination space and time measurement. Documentation includes the Electronic Computers History Collection and the Mathematical Devices History Collection. Photographs and video materials can also be found. The Smithsonian Institution Archives contains administrative documentation regarding the Computer History Project.

Provenance:

The Computer Oral History Collection was a cooperative project of the American Federation of Information Processing Societies (AFIPS) and the Smithsonian Institution. This project began in 1967 and was concluded in 1973. This collection was transferred to the Archives Center in approximately 1986 from the Division of Information, Technology & Society, formerly known as the Division of Electricity.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but original audio tapes and videotapes are stored off-site. Reference copies do not exist for all of the audiovisual materials. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Computers  Search this

Engineers  Search this

Mathematics  Search this

Mathematicians  Search this

Physicists  Search this

Scientists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Audiotapes

Interviews -- 1950-2000

Oral history

Sound recordings -- Compact disks

Transcripts

Videotapes

Citation:

Computer Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Sponsor:

Online transcripts for select oral history interviews were made possible by the Morton I. Bernstein Fund and the Association for Computing Machinery, the Special Interest Group on Management of Data (SIGMOD), and the Special Interest Group on Programming Languages (SIGPLAN).

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0196

See more items in:

Computer Oral History Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0196

Sponsor:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Extent:

15 Cubic feet (14 boxes )

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1987-2003

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists of oral history interviews conducted between 1993 and 2006 with individuals in the computing industry.

Biographical / Historical:

The Monticello Memoirs Program captured for posterity the story of the information technology revolution in the words of the men and women who are leading it. In private conversations and in public discussions at Thomas Jefferson's home at Monticello, on the grounds of the University of Virginia and at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the leaders of the information revolution reflected on its progress to date and their vision of the future. Captured for the research collections of the National Museum of American History, the dialogues of the Monticello Fellows will encourage others to follow in their footsteps, to learn from their mistakes and to emulate their innovative spirit and achievements.

The 1996 Monticello Memoirs Fellows included: Seymour Cray, founder Cray Research; Gordon Moore, co-founder, Intel Corporation; Gordon Bell, inventor of the minicomputer; Jay Forrester, system dynamics visionary; and Robert Metcalfe, founder, 3Com. The topics were explored in private conversations at Monticello and in public discussions on the grounds of the University of Virginia -- which Mr. Jefferson founded, designed and built.

The 1997 Monticello Memoirs Fellows included Eric Andersen, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web; Danny Hillis, a pioneer of parallel processing; F. William Hoffman, Managing Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Anita Jones, Director of Defense Research Engineering, U.S. Department of Defense; Henning Kagermann, Executive Board Member, SAP AG; Robert Kahn, co-creator of the Internet protocol; Roland Moreno, inventor of the smart card; Jacques Stern, an early pioneer in real-time computing; and Paul Wahl, President and Chief Executive Officer, SAP America Inc.

Provenance:

Immediate source of acquisition unknown.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

In some instances reference (viewing) copies do not exist. Use of these materials requires special arrangement.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Citation:

Division of Information and Technology Computer Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1303

See more items in:

Division of Information and Technology Computer Oral History Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1303

Collection Sponsor:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Extent:

1 Videocassettes (VHS)

1 Cassette tape

Container:

Box 6

Box 11

Type:

Archival materials

Moving Images

Audio

Videocassettes (vhs)

Cassette tapes

Date:

1994-10-24

Collection Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

In some instances reference (viewing) copies do not exist. Use of these materials requires special arrangement.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Division of Information and Technology Computer Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Division of Information and Technology Computer Oral History Collection

Division of Information and Technology Computer Oral History Collection / Series 2: Audio Visual Materials

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1303-ref646

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Computerworld Magazine.  Search this

Source:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society  Search this

Former owner:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society  Search this

Extent:

145 Cubic feet (341 document boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Videotapes

Software

Questionnaires

Photographs

Interviews

Essays

Date:

1989-2000

Summary:

Collection documents an awards program established in 1989 as a partnership between Computerworld Magazine and the Smithsonian Institution. The Computer World Smithsonian Awards (CWSA) brought together the Chairmen of Chief Executive Officers of the world's foremost information technology companies with the world's leading universities, libraries and research institutions to document a revolution in progress—the global information technology revolution. The program identified men, women, organizations and institutions leading the technology revolution and asked them to contribute case studies. Collection consists of case studies which include questionnaires, essays, oral histories, conference proceedings, publications, video tapes, photographs, slides, software, and product samples about each project.

Scope and Contents:

An important part of the award process was that nominees actively created the permanent record of their work, for inclusion in the permanent CWSA archives at the Smithsonian. Strict guidelines were set up to ensure that a complete record was created. Each nomination had to be in the form of a packet of primary source materials about the project. Nominees were instructed on the types of materials to include and were required to answer a standard questionnaire and write an essay about the significance of the project. As a result, each case study includes a wealth of information about the project, including oral histories, conference proceedings, publications, video tapes, photographs and slides, software, examples of the product generated, and other records, as well as the standardized information required by the program. The collection is arranged into thirteen series chronologically.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged into thirteen series.

Series 1, General

Series 2, 1989

Series, 3, 1990

Series 4, 1991

Series 5, 1992

Series 6, 1993

Series 7, 1994

Series 8, 1995

Series 9, 1996

Series 10, 1997

Series 11, 1998

Series 12, 1999

Series 13, 2000

Biographical / Historical:

Established in 1989 as a partnership between Computerworld Magazine and the Smithsonian Institution, the Computer World Smithsonian Awards (CWSA) Program brought together the Chairmen or Chief Executive Officers of the world's foremost information technology companies with the world's leading universities, libraries and research institutions to document a revolution in progress: the global information technology revolution.

The awards program was dedicated to identifying the men and women, organizations and institutions, that were leading this revolution and to recording the impact of their achievements on society. The first awards were presented in 1991 during a ceremony at NMAH. According to that year's press release, the CWSA awards were created to "recognize heroes of technological innovation, to demystify public perceptions of technology and to clearly identify the benefits technology brings to the lives of the general public."

Over the course of each year, members of the Chairmen's Committee would identify those organizations whose use of information technology had been especially noteworthy for the originality of its conception, the breadth of its vision, and the significance of its benefit to society. Those organizations were asked to contribute a case study regarding their project to the CWSA collection, which was to be housed at the Smithsonian's NMAH. Nominated projects were sorted into ten categories and winners were selected by a panel of distinguished representatives in each specialty. The first year's categories were: business and related services; education and academia; environment, education and agriculture; finance, insurance and real estate; government and non-profit organizations; manufacturing; media, arts and entertainment; medicine and health care; and transportation. The categories changed slightly over the years as the process was refined.

In 2001, the Smithsonian decided to sever its affiliation with the CWSA program. The program continued under the sole auspices of Computerworld magazine, without any Smithsonian connection. New case studies now "become part of the broader, worldwide collection, archived on the world wide web and also presented, in a variety of formats, to archives, museums, universities and libraries in each of the more than 40 countries on six continents represented by the award winners," according to their website (http://www.cwheroes.org/home.asp).

Related Materials:

The Division Information, Technology and Society (now Division of Medicine and Science) holds significant artifacts included with the nomination packets.

Provenance:

Division of the History of Technology

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

Copyright held by donor and/or heirs. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use.] .

Topic:

Computers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Videotapes -- 1990-2000

Videotapes -- 1980-1990

Software

Questionnaires

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1980-2000

Interviews -- 1980-2000

Essays

Citation:

The Computer World Smithsonian Awards, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0425

See more items in:

Computer World Smithsonian Awards

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0425

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Computerworld Magazine.  Search this

Collection Source:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society  Search this

Container:

Box 21 (Series 9), Folder 13

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Collection Rights:

Copyright held by donor and/or heirs. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use.] .

Collection Citation:

The Computer World Smithsonian Awards, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Computer World Smithsonian Awards

Computer World Smithsonian Awards / Series 9: Awards / 9.7: Media, Arts, and Entertainment

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0425-ref2414

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Computerworld Magazine.  Search this

Collection Source:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society  Search this

Container:

Box 20 (Series 10), Folder 6

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Collection Rights:

Copyright held by donor and/or heirs. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use.] .

Collection Citation:

The Computer World Smithsonian Awards, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Computer World Smithsonian Awards

Computer World Smithsonian Awards / Series 10: Awards / 10.5: Government and Non-Profit Organizations

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0425-ref3085

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Computerworld Magazine.  Search this

Collection Source:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society  Search this

Container:

Box 22 (Series 10), Folder 12

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Collection Rights:

Copyright held by donor and/or heirs. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use.] .

Collection Citation:

The Computer World Smithsonian Awards, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Computer World Smithsonian Awards

Computer World Smithsonian Awards / Series 10: Awards / 10.5: Government and Non-Profit Organizations

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0425-ref3109

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Computerworld Magazine.  Search this

Collection Source:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society  Search this

Container:

Box 3 (Series 3), Folder 7-8

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1990

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Collection Rights:

Copyright held by donor and/or heirs. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use.] .

Collection Citation:

The Computer World Smithsonian Awards, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Computer World Smithsonian Awards

Computer World Smithsonian Awards / Series 3: Awards

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0425-ref4276

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Computerworld Magazine.  Search this

Collection Source:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society  Search this

Container:

Box 7 (Series 4), Folder 2

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1991

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Collection Rights:

Copyright held by donor and/or heirs. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use.] .

Collection Citation:

The Computer World Smithsonian Awards, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Computer World Smithsonian Awards

Computer World Smithsonian Awards / Series 4: Awards

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0425-ref4320

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Computerworld Magazine.  Search this

Collection Source:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society  Search this

Container:

Box 23 (Series 5), Folder 2

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1992

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Collection Rights:

Copyright held by donor and/or heirs. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use.] .

Collection Citation:

The Computer World Smithsonian Awards, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Computer World Smithsonian Awards

Computer World Smithsonian Awards / Series 5: Awards

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0425-ref4338

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Computerworld Magazine.  Search this

Collection Source:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society  Search this

Container:

Box 2 (Series 8), Folder 6

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1995

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Collection Rights:

Copyright held by donor and/or heirs. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use.] .

Collection Citation:

The Computer World Smithsonian Awards, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Computer World Smithsonian Awards

Computer World Smithsonian Awards / Series 8: Awards / 8.1: Business & Related Services

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0425-ref4397

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Computerworld Magazine.  Search this

Collection Source:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society  Search this

Container:

Box 2 (Series 8), Folder 13

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1995

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Collection Rights:

Copyright held by donor and/or heirs. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use.] .

Collection Citation:

The Computer World Smithsonian Awards, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Computer World Smithsonian Awards

Computer World Smithsonian Awards / Series 8: Awards / 8.1: Business & Related Services

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0425-ref4404

Artist:

Dan Wynn, 19 Apr 1919 - 17 Feb 1995  Search this

Sitter:

William Henry Gates III, born 28 Oct 1955  Search this

Medium:

Chromogenic print

Dimensions:

Image: 34.2 x 22.5cm (13 7/16 x 8 7/8")

Mat: 55.9 x 40.6cm (22 x 16")

Type:

Photograph

Date:

1984

Topic:

Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses  Search this

Interior\Studio\Photography  Search this

William Henry Gates III: Male  Search this

William Henry Gates III: Society and Social Change\Philanthropist  Search this

William Henry Gates III: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Humanitarian  Search this

William Henry Gates III: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist\Manufacturer\Computer software  Search this

William Henry Gates III: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Executive\Information technology\Computer  Search this

William Henry Gates III: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Entrepreneur\Technology  Search this

William Henry Gates III: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Business magnate  Search this

William Henry Gates III: Science and Technology\Software developer  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine

Object number:

NPG.88.TC111

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

Copyright:

© Dan Wynn Archive

See more items in:

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Data Source:

National Portrait Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm40f00f814-e298-4495-acf7-f4e1477df89e

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_NPG.88.TC111

Collection Creator:

Brooks, Arthur Raymond, 1895-1991  Search this

Container:

Box 10, Folder 17

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

November 1961

1961-05

1930-07

Scope and Contents:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, vol. 32, no. 8, July 1930; vol. 63, no. 7, May 1961; and vol. 64, no. 1, November 1961.

Collection Restrictions:

No restrictions on access

Collection Rights:

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Collection Citation:

Arthur Raymond Brooks Collection, NASM.1989.0104, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

Arthur Raymond Brooks Collection

Arthur Raymond Brooks Collection / Series 1: Professional Materials / 1.8: Magazines

Archival Repository:

National Air and Space Museum Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nasm-1989-0104-ref314

Creator:

Moore, Benson Bond, 1882-1974  Search this

Names:

Society of Animal Artists  Search this

Washington Landscape Club  Search this

Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949  Search this

Bransom, Paul, 1885-  Search this

Clark, Herbert F.  Search this

Cornett, Robert G.  Search this

Lowe, James Russell  Search this

Lyon, Rowland, 1904-  Search this

Rolle, A. H. O. (August H. O.), 1875-1940  Search this

Sayre, Francis Bowes, 1885-1972  Search this

Seaton, Charles  Search this

Extent:

5.7 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Etchings

Christmas cards

Paintings

Drawings

Travel sketches

Sketches

Poems

Awards

Photographs

Prints

Scrapbooks

Place:

New York (State)

Date:

1902-1995

Summary:

The papers of printmaker and landscape painter Benson Bond Moore date from 1902 to 1995 and measure 5.7 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical material, letters, scattered personal business records, notes and writings, twelve scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs. The papers also contain extensive artwork in the form of drawings and sketches, etchings, lithographs, and a few oil paintings.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of printmaker and landscape painter Benson Bond Moore date from 1902 to 1995 and measure 5.7 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical material, letters, scattered personal business records, notes and writings, twelve scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs. The papers also contain extensive artwork in the form of drawings and sketches, etchings, lithographs, and a few oil paintings.

Biographical material includes genealogical notes, biographical accounts, a baptismal record, marriage license, driver's license, membership cards, an award medal and ribbons, a death certificate, and address books.

Letters are incoming only from friends and colleagues, including Christmas cards from Clifford K. Berryman, Paul Bransom, James Russell Lowe, Rowland Lyon, and Francis Bowes Sayre. There is also a photocopy of a letter from Lou Henry Hoover.

Personal business records include a copy of a patent for Moore's design for an artist's kit, a deed for Moore's father's gallery, priced labels for art work in various media, lists of art work, price lists, records of art work sold, bank account records, miscellaneous receipts, and a ledger concerning Moore's works left in trust after his death.

Notes and writings consist of nine poems by Moore, lists of titles of art work sold, lists of art work by others, and a funeral registry book listing mourners' names. The most notable item in this series is a log book of The Ramblers containing a typescript describing the history of this early 20th century art club.

Art work comprises the most significant series in the collection. It includes 1040 drawings, 43 watercolor sketches, 526 etchings, 187 lithographs, 8 paintings and 5 relief sculptures. Subjects depicted are primarily wildlife and nature, landscapes, seascapes, and scenes of towns and notable buildings primarily in and around Washington, D.C. There are scattered portrait drawings and etchings by Moore of fellow artists Herbert F. Clark, Robert G. Cornett, August H. O. Rolle, and Charles Seaton. There are also 5 bas-relief sculptures.

Twelve scrapbooks contain prints by Moore, letters, printed materials, and photographs of Moore and his artwork. Scrapbook 10 contains a photograph of a Landscape Club banquet at the Cosmos Club.

Printed material consists of clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, a prospectus from the Society of Animal Artists, book Animals of American History illustrated by Paul Bransom, miscellaneous booklets and brochures concerning art-related topics, travel brochures for New York State, and reproductions of art works.

Photographs are of Benson Bond Moore, his family, residence, colleagues including members of The Ramblers painting outdoors, and of art work. There are also travel photographs of locations in the United States.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as 8 series:

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1908-1974 (Box 1; 6 folders)

Series 2: Letters, 1912-1993 (Box 1; 40 folders)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1924-1994 (Box 1-2; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 4: Notes and Writings, 1902-1974 (Box 2; 8 folders)

Series 5: Art Work, 1904-1991 (Box 2-4, 6, OV 8; 2.2 linear feet)

Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1919-1973 (Box 4, 7; 0.9 linear feet)

Series 7: Printed Material, 1916-1995 (Box 5-6, OV 8; 1.0 linear feet)

Series 8: Photographs, 1924-1971 (Box 5-7, OV 8; 0.7 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Benson Bond Moore (1882-1974) of Washington, D.C. and Sarasota, Florida, was a printmaker, landscape painter, art teacher, and picture restorer.

Benson Bond Moore was born on August 13, 1882 in Washington, D.C., the first child of Caroline and John Benson Moore. From an early age, Moore assisted his father in his picture restoring business. In 1902, he was employed by the Maurice Joyce Photo-Engraving Co., and soon afterwards produced a series of technical drawings for Alexander Graham Bell.

Moore studied at the Corcoran School of Art, and, in 1914, he joined The Ramblers (later the Washington Landscape Club), a group of artists who went on painting and drawing expeditions in the environs of Washington, D.C. Moore taught etching at the private Hill School of Art and was an active member of many regional art associations. He was also a founding member of the Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Society. Following the death of his wife Florence (Flossie) in the early 1950s, Moore moved to Sarasota, Florida.

Benson Bond Moore died on October 30, 1974 in Sarasota, Florida.

Separated Material:

Printmaking tools, lithographic plates, and a 24 x 30 inch display board exhibiting specimen prints and plates and a pocket barometer were transferred to the National Museum of American History, Department of Information Technology and Society.

Provenance:

The Benson Bond Moore papers were donated by Barbara Nikla and John J. Lyons in 1996, as representatives of the estate of the artist's sister-in-law, Mary Jane Moore. Additional material was donated 1997 from the estate by other relatives, Martha Sigmon and her sister Georgia King.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Topic:

Landscape painting -- 20th century -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this

Relief (Sculpture)  Search this

Artists -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this

Etchers -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this

Landscape painters -- New York (State)  Search this

Printmakers -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this

Genre/Form:

Etchings

Christmas cards

Paintings

Drawings

Travel sketches

Sketches

Poems

Awards

Photographs

Prints

Scrapbooks

Citation:

Benson Bond Moore papers, 1902-1995. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.moorbens

See more items in:

Benson Bond Moore papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-moorbens

Creator:

United Telegraph Workers.  Search this

Western Union Telegraph Company  Search this

Extent:

452 Cubic feet (871 boxes and 23 map folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Administrative records

Articles

Books

Clippings

Contracts

Drawings

Photographs

Patents

Newsletters

Photograph albums

Scrapbooks

Specifications

Technical documents

Date:

circa 1820-1995

Summary:

The collection documents in photographs, scrapbooks, notebooks, correspondence, stock ledgers, annual reports, and financial records, the evolution of the telegraph, the development of the Western Union Telegraph Company, and the beginning of the communications revolution. The collection materials describe both the history of the company and of the telegraph industry in general, particularly its importance to the development of the technology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection is useful for researchers interested in the development of technology, economic history, and the impact of technology on American social and cultural life.

Scope and Contents:

The collection is divided into twenty-six (26) series and consists of approximately 400 cubic feet. The collection documents in photographs, scrapbooks, notebooks, correspondence, stock ledgers, annual reports, and financial records, the evolution of the telegraph, the development of the Western Union Telegraph Company, and the beginning of the communications revolution. The collection materials describe both the history of the company and of the telegraph industry in general, particularly its importance to the development of the technology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection is useful for researchers interested in the development of technology, economic history, and the impact of technology on American social and cultural life.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into twenty-seven series.

Series 1: Historical and Background Information, 1851-1994

Series 2: Subsidiaries of Western Union, 1844-1986

Series 3: Executive Records, 1848-1987

Series 4: Presidential Letterbooks and Writings, 1865-1911

Series 5: Correspondence, 1837-1985

Series 6: Cyrus W. Field Papers, 1840-1892

Series 7: Secretary's Files, 1844-1987

Series 8: Financial Records, 1859-1995

Series 9: Legal Records, 1867-1968

Series 10: Railroad Records, 1854-1945

Series 11: Law Department Records, 1868-1979

Series 12: Patent Materials, 1840-1970

Series 13: Operating Records, 1868-1970s

Series 14: Westar VI-S, 1974, 1983-1986

Series 15: Engineering Department Records, 1874-1970

Series 16: Plant Department Records, 1867-1937, 1963

Series 17: Superintendent of Supplies Records, 1888-1948

Series 18: Employee/Personnel Records 1852-1985

Series 19: Public Relations Department Records, 1858-1980

Series 20: Western Union Museum, 1913-1971

Series 21: Maps, 1820-1964

Series 22: Telegrams, 1852-1960s

Series 23: Photographs, circa 1870-1980

Series 24: Scrapbooks, 1835-1956

Series 25: Notebooks, 1880-1942

Series 26: Audio Visual Materials, 1925-1994

Series 27: Addenda

Biographical / Historical:

In 1832 Samuel F. B. Morse, assisted by Alfred Vail, conceived of the idea for an electromechanical telegraph, which he called the "Recording Telegraph." This commercial application of electricity was made tangible by their construction of a crude working model in 1835-36. This instrument probably was never used outside of Professor Morse's rooms where it was, however, operated in a number of demonstrations. This original telegraph instrument was in the hands of the Western Union Telegraph Company and had been kept carefully over the years in a glass case. It was moved several times in New York as the Western Union headquarters building changed location over the years. The company presented it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1950.

The telegraph was further refined by Morse, Vail, and a colleague, Leonard Gale, into working mechanical form in 1837. In this year Morse filed a caveat for it at the U.S. Patent Office. Electricity, provided by Joseph Henry's 1836 "intensity batteries", was sent over a wire. The flow of electricity through the wire was interrupted for shorter or longer periods by holding down the key of the device. The resulting dots or dashes were recorded on a printer or could be interpreted orally. In 1838 Morse perfected his sending and receiving code and organized a corporation, making Vail and Gale his partners.

In 1843 Morse received funds from Congress to set-up a demonstration line between Washington and Baltimore. Unfortunately, Morse was not an astute businessman and had no practical plan for constructing a line. After an unsuccessful attempt at laying underground cables with Ezra Cornell, the inventor of a trench digger, Morse switched to the erection of telegraph poles and was more successful. On May 24, 1844, Morse, in the U.S. Supreme Court Chambers in Washington, sent by telegraph the oft-quoted message to his colleague Vail in Baltimore, "What hath God wrought!"

In 1845 Morse hired Andrew Jackson's former postmaster general, Amos Kendall, as his agent in locating potential buyers of the telegraph. Kendall realized the value of the device, and had little trouble convincing others of its potential for profit. By the spring he had attracted a small group of investors. They subscribed $15,000 and formed the Magnetic Telegraph Company. Many new telegraph companies were formed as Morse sold licenses wherever he could.

The first commercial telegraph line was completed between Washington, D.C., and New York City in the spring of 1846 by the Magnetic Telegraph Company. Shortly thereafter, F. O. J. Smith, one of the patent owners, built a line between New York City and Boston. Most of these early companies were licensed by owners of Samuel Morse patents. The Morse messages were sent and received in a code of dots and dashes.

At this time other telegraph systems based on rival technologies were being built. Some companies used the printing telegraph, a device invented by a Vermonter, Royal E. House, whose messages were printed on paper or tape in Roman letters. In 1848 a Scotch scientist, Alexander Bain, received his patents on a telegraph. These were but two of many competing and incompatible technologies that had developed. The result was confusion, inefficiency, and a rash of suits and counter suits.

By 1851 there were over fifty separate telegraph companies operating in the United States. This corporate cornucopia developed because the owners of the telegraph patents had been unsuccessful in convincing the United States and other governments of the invention's potential usefulness. In the private sector, the owners had difficulty convincing capitalists of the commercial value of the invention. This led to the owners' willingness to sell licenses to many purchasers who organized separate companies and then built independent telegraph lines in various sections of the country.

Hiram Sibley moved to Rochester, New York, in 1838 to pursue banking and real estate. Later he was elected sheriff of Monroe County. In Rochester he was introduced to Judge Samuel L. Selden who held the House Telegraph patent rights. In 1849 Selden and Sibley organized the New York State Printing Telegraph Company, but they found it hard to compete with the existing New York, Albany, and Buffalo Telegraph Company.

After this experience Selden suggested that instead of creating a new line, the two should try to acquire all the companies west of Buffalo and unite them into a single unified system. Selden secured an agency for the extension throughout the United States of the House system. In an effort to expand this line west, Judge Selden called on friends and the people in Rochester. This led, in April 1851, to the organization of a company and the filing in Albany of the Articles of Association for the "New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company" (NYMVPTC), a company which later evolved into the Western Union Telegraph Company.

In 1854 there were two rival systems of the NYMVPTC in the West. These two systems consisted of thirteen separate companies. All the companies were using Morse patents in the five states north of the Ohio River. This created a struggle between three separate entities, leading to an unreliable and inefficient telegraph service. The owners of these rival companies eventually decided to invest their money elsewhere and arrangements were made for the NYMVPTC to purchase their interests.

Hiram Sibley recapitalized the company in 1854 under the same name and began a program of construction and acquisition. The most important takeover was carried out by Sibley when he negotiated the purchase of the Morse patent rights for the Midwest for $50,000 from Jeptha H. Wade and John J. Speed, without the knowledge of Ezra Cornell, their partner in the Erie and Michigan Telegraph Company (EMTC). With this acquisition Sibley proceeded to switch to the superior Morse system. He also hired Wade, a very capable manager, who became his protege and later his successor. After a bitter struggle Morse and Wade obtained the EMTC from Cornell in 1855, thus assuring dominance by the NYMVPTC in the Midwest. In 1856 the company name was changed to the "Western Union Telegraph Company," indicating the union of the Western lines into one compact system. In December, 1857, the Company paid stockholders their first dividend.

Between 1857 and 1861 similar consolidations of telegraph companies took place in other areas of the country so that most of the telegraph interests of the United States had merged into six systems. These were the American Telegraph Company (covering the Atlantic and some Gulf states), The Western Union Telegraph Company (covering states North of the Ohio River and parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Minnesota), the New York Albany and Buffalo Electro-Magnetic Telegraph Company (covering New York State), the Atlantic and Ohio Telegraph Company (covering Pennsylvania), the Illinois & Mississippi Telegraph Company (covering sections of Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois), and the New Orleans & Ohio Telegraph Company (covering the southern Mississippi Valley and the Southwest). All these companies worked together in a mutually friendly alliance, and other small companies cooperated with the six systems, particularly some on the West Coast.

By the time of the Civil War, there was a strong commercial incentive to construct a telegraph line across the western plains to link the two coasts of America. Many companies, however, believed the line would be impossible to build and maintain.

In 1860 Congress passed, and President James Buchanan signed, the Pacific Telegraph Act, which authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to seek bids for a project to construct a transcontinental line. When two bidders dropped out, Hiram Sibley, representing Western Union, was the only bidder left. By default Sibley won the contract. The Pacific Telegraph Company was organized for the purpose of building the eastern section of the line. Sibley sent Wade to California, where he consolidated the small local companies into the California State Telegraph Company. This entity then organized the Overland Telegraph Company, which handled construction eastward from Carson City, Nevada, joining the existing California lines, to Salt Lake City, Utah. Sibley's Pacific Telegraph Company built westward from Omaha, Nebraska. Sibley put most of his resources into the venture. The line was completed in October, 1861. Both companies were soon merged into Western Union. This accomplishment made Hiram Sibley leader of the telegraph industry.

Further consolidations took place over the next several years. Many companies merged into the American Telegraph Company. With the expiration of the Morse patents, several organizations were combined in 1864 under the name of "The U.S. Telegraph Company." In 1866 the final consolidation took place, with Western Union exchanging stock for the stock of the other two organizations. The general office of Western Union moved at this time from Rochester to 145 Broadway, New York City. In 1875 the main office moved to 195 Broadway, where it remained until 1930 when it relocated to 60 Hudson Street.

In 1873 Western Union purchased a majority of shares in the International Ocean Telegraph Company. This was an important move because it marked Western Union's entry into the foreign telegraph market. Having previously worked with foreign companies, Western Union now began competing for overseas business.

In the late 1870s Western Union, led by William H. Vanderbilt, attempted to wrest control of the major telephone patents, and the new telephone industry, away from the Bell Telephone Company. But due to new Bell leadership and a subsequent hostile takeover attempt of Western Union by Jay Gould, Western Union discontinued its fight and Bell Telephone prevailed.

Despite these corporate calisthenics, Western Union remained in the public eye. The sight of a uniformed Western Union messenger boy was familiar in small towns and big cities all over the country for many years. Some of Western Union's top officials in fact began their careers as messenger boys.

Throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century the telegraph became one of the most important factors in the development of social and commercial life of America. In spite of improvements to the telegraph, however, two new inventions--the telephone (nineteenth century) and the radio (twentieth century)--eventually replaced the telegraph as the leaders of the communication revolution for most Americans.

At the turn of the century, Bell abandoned its struggles to maintain a monopoly through patent suits, and entered into direct competition with the many independent telephone companies. Around this time, the company adopted its new name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T).

In 1908 AT&T gained control of Western Union. This proved beneficial to Western Union, because the companies were able to share lines when needed, and it became possible to order telegrams by telephone. However, it was only possible to order Western Union telegrams, and this hurt the business of Western Union's main competitor, the Postal Telegraph Company. In 1913, however, as part of a move to prevent the government from invoking antitrust laws, AT&T completely separated itself from Western Union.

Western Union continued to prosper and it received commendations from the U.S. armed forces for service during both world wars. In 1945 Western Union finally merged with its longtime rival, the Postal Telegraph Company. As part of that merger, Western Union agreed to separate domestic and foreign business. In 1963 Western Union International Incorporated, a private company completely separate from the Western Union Telegraph Company, was formed and an agreement with the Postal Telegraph Company was completed. In 1994, Western Union Financial Services, Inc. was acquired by First Financial Management Corporation. In 1995, First Financial Management Corporation merged with First Data Corporation making Western Union a First Data subsidiary.

Many technological advancements followed the telegraph's development. The following are among the more important:

The first advancement of the telegraph occurred around 1850 when operators realized that the clicks of the recording instrument portrayed a sound pattern, understandable by the operators as dots and dashes. This allowed the operator to hear the message by ear and simultaneously write it down. This ability transformed the telegraph into a versatile and speedy system.

Duplex Telegraphy, 1871-72, was invented by the president of the Franklin Telegraph Company. Unable to sell his invention to his own company, he found a willing buyer in Western Union. Utilizing this invention, two messages were sent over the wire simultaneously, one in each direction.

As business blossomed and demand surged, new devices appeared. Thomas Edison's Quadruplex allowed four messages to be sent over the same wire simultaneously, two in one direction and two in the other.

An English automatic signaling arrangement, Wheatstone's Automatic Telegraph, 1883, allowed larger numbers of words to be transmitted over a wire at once. It could only be used advantageously, however, on circuits where there was a heavy volume of business.

Buckingham's Machine Telegraph was an improvement on the House system. It printed received messages in plain Roman letters quickly and legibly on a message blank, ready for delivery.

Vibroplex, c. 1890, a semi-automatic key sometimes called a "bug key," made the dots automatically. This relieved the operator of much physical strain.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

Additional moving image about Western Union Telegraph Company can be found in the Industry on Parade Collection (AC0507). This includes Cable to Cuba! by Bell Laboratory, AT & T, featuring the cable ship, the C.S. Lord Kelvin, and Communications Centennial! by the Western Union Company.

Materials at Other Organizations

Hagley Museum and Library, Wilmington, Delaware.

Western Union International Records form part of the MCI International, Inc. Records at the First Data Corporation, Greenwood Village, Colorado.

Records of First Data Corporation and its predecessors, including Western Union, First Financial Management Corporation (Atlanta) and First Data Resources (Omaha). Western Union collection supports research of telegraphy and related technologies, and includes company records, annual reports, photographs, print and broadcast advertising, telegraph equipment, and messenger uniforms.

Smithsonian Institution Archives

Western Union Telegraph Expedition, 1865-1867

This collection includes correspondence, mostly to Spencer F. Baird, from members of the Scientific Corps of the Western Union Telegraph Expedition, including Kennicott, Dall, Bannister, and Elliott; copies of reports submitted to divisional chiefs from expedition staff members; newspaper clippings concerning the expedition; copies of notes on natural history taken by Robert Kennicott; and a journal containing meteorological data recorded by Henry M. Bannister from March to August, 1866.

Separated Materials:

Artifacts (apparatus and equipment) were donated to the Division of Information Technology and Society, now known as the Division of Work & Industry, National Museum of American History.

Provenance:

The collection was donated by Western Union in September of 1971.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but Series 11 and films are stored off-site. Special arrangements must be made to view some of the audiovisual materials. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Communications equipment  Search this

Communication -- International cooperation  Search this

Electric engineering  Search this

Electric engineers  Search this

Electrical equipment  Search this

Electrical science and technology  Search this

Telegraphers  Search this

Telegraph  Search this

Genre/Form:

Administrative records

Articles

Books

Clippings

Contracts

Drawings

Photographs -- 19th century

Patents

Photographs -- 20th century

Newsletters

Photograph albums

Scrapbooks -- 19th century

Scrapbooks -- 20th century

Specifications

Technical documents

Citation:

Western Union Telegraph Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0205

See more items in:

Western Union Telegraph Company Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0205

Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Information, Technology and Society  Search this

Names:

Radio Corporation of America.  Search this

Bell, Alexander Graham, 1847-1922  Search this

Farnsworth, Philo Taylor, b. 1906  Search this

Marconi, Guglielmo, Marchese, 1874-1937  Search this

Marconi, Maria, Marchesa  Search this

Tesla, Nikola, 1857-1943  Search this

Correspondent:

Edison, Thomas A. (Thomas Alva), 1847-1931  Search this

Extent:

6 Cubic feet (34 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Black-and-white negatives

Date:

1890 - 1930

Summary:

Photographic negatives and some glass plate negatives depicting subjects relating to the Division of Electricity and Modern Physics' artifact collections and research interests. Negatives include portrait photographs of engineers (Marconi, Tesla, Bell, and Zworykin), images of radios, telegraphy equipment, and phonographs.

Scope and Contents:

Photographic negatives and some glass plate negatives depicting subjects relating to the Division of Electricity and Modern Physics' artifact collections. Negatives include portrait photographs of engineers (Marconi, Tesla, Bell, and Zworykin), images of radios, telegraphy equipment, radio equipment, inventors, and phonographs. The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) engineers and some equipment are especially well represented. Many of the negatives are unidentified and undated.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into one series and are arranged by topics. The folder titles in the container list were taken from the image enclosures.

Related Materials:

Materials held in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

George H. Clark Radioana Collection, circa 1880-1950 (AC0055)

Thomas Alva Edison Photo Prints, 1890s-1933, (AC0299)

Kenneth M. Swezey Papers, 1891-1982 (AC0047)

Provenance:

Source unknown. Found in collections.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but the photonegatives are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Radio -- Apparatus and supplies  Search this

Radio -- History  Search this

Engineers  Search this

Phonograph  Search this

Telegraph, Wireless  Search this

Genre/Form:

Black-and-white negatives

Citation:

Electricity and Modern Physics Photonegatives, 1898-1953, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0715

See more items in:

Electricity and Modern Physics Photonegatives

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0715