National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mathematics Search this
Extent:
10.3 Cubic feet (31 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Reports
Papers
Date:
1945-1959
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of over 2,516 items, housed in 31 document boxes. The material is arranged into chronological order and covers the project dates of l945- l959. The items were originally classified secret, confidential, and unclassified.
The collection is arranged into four series:
Series 1: Summary Reports
Series 2: Bi-weekly Reports
Series 3: Correspondence, Memoranda, and Reports
Series 4: Indexes
The summary reports include originals of "Summary Report #1, April, 1946" and "Summary Report #2," in twenty-two volumes, and photocopies of summary reports #3 through #40. The bi-weekly reports, covering the period December, l947 to May, l953, are arranged chronologically. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, notes, memos, and reports. These date from August, 1945 to January, 1959 and are arranged chronologically. A 210 page index to the reports and correspondence (prepared by Whirlwind project personnel) is located in box 31. This guide has a table of contents and lists topic, author, date, and identification number for all items in the collection. Other indexes are located in boxes 30 and 31.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into four series.
Series 1: Summary Reports, 1946-1954
Series 2: Bi-weekly Reports, 1947-1953
Series 3: Correspondence, Memoranda, and Reports, 1945-1959
Series 4: Indices, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Project Whirlwind was sponsored by the Special Devices Center of the Office of Naval Research from 1945 to 1952. The original objective of the project was the development of a device that would simulate airplanes in flight. As the project progressed, other applications of the computer evolved.
The project was centered in the Servomechanisms Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). In the course of the research, Whirlwind evolved from an aircraft simulator into a high speed digital computer and finally into a key element of the United States' early air defense system. In 1948, M.I.T., believing that it was inappropriate for an educational institution to be so heavily involved in air defense research, transferred Whirlwind responsibility to the new M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory in 1952. There, under the direction of Jay Forrester, pioneering work was done on magnetic core memory. MITRE's Whirlwind group spun off from Lincoln Laboratory to the new MITRE Corporation in 1958. Whirlwind served SAGE (Semiautomatic Ground Environment) air defense activities until being retired in May of 1959.
Whirlwind I was of the high-speed electronic digital type, in which quantities were represented as discrete numbers, and complex problems were solved by the repeated use of fundamental arithmetic and logical operations. Computations were executed by fractional microsecond pulses in electronic circuits, of which the principal ones were the flip-flop, the gate coincidence circuit and the magnetic core memory. Whirlwind I used numbers of 16 binary digits; this length was selected to limit the machine to a practical size.
The Whirlwind I Computer was utilized by such projects as Navy Fire Control, Air Traffic Control, the Cape Cod System, Experimental SAGE Sector, and many others. Whirlwind I spawned two computers, the MTC (memory test computer) and TX O (transistor computer), both developed by ESS Installation Group 63.
The Whirlwind I Computer and its facilities were later leased to the Wolf Research and Development Corporation, West Concord, Massachusetts, under Navy Lease Contract Nonr 2956(00) in 1963. Kent C. Redmond and Thomas M. Smith wrote a history of the project, Project Whirlwind: Case History (Bedford, Massachusetts: The MITRE Corporation, 1975).
Provenance:
This collection was donated by the MITRE Corporation, February 1983. The Whirlwind I Computer Project originated at the Servomechanics Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) in 1945. The records were transferred in 1959 to the MITRE Corporation.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
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.
RCA, Information Systems Division, N.J. Search this
Extent:
1 Cubic foot (3 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Lists
Specifications
Manuals
Printouts
Date:
1965-1971
Scope and Contents:
Includes IBM operating manuals, RCA training and field engineering manuals, several printouts of data from RCA computer in COBOL; and a description of a computer programming problem (payroll calculation and reporting).
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into four series.
Series 1: RCA Information Systems Training Handbook
Series 2: RCA Information Systems Manuals
Series 3: RCA Computer Printout (In COBOL)
Series 4: IBM Student and Reference Manuals for IBM System 360, 1965-1968
Provenance:
Collection donated by Terry M. Sachs, October 11, 1978.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
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.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mathematics Search this
Extent:
3 Cubic feet (10 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Minutes
Papers
Reports
Correspondence
Date:
1969-1975
Summary:
Records from Eric H. Clamons, fifth chairman of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X3L2 Standards Committee.
Scope and Contents:
This material includes correspondence, handwritten notes, transcripts of speeches, meeting minutes, reports (in draft and final form) of ANSI X3L2 and other committees and international organizations dealing with computer character sets and codes as well as minutes and agendas of their meetings. There are also some clippings of articles from journals and newspapers. There is no evident classification by subject, committee or chronology; the 10 data boxes each seem to have a random distribution of material, except that box 1 has a broader time span (1969-1979).
Organizations which created some of these documents include:
AFNOR: Association Francaise de Normalisation; ANSI: American National Standards Institute; (C)BEMA: (Computers and) Business Equipment Manufacturers Association; ECMA: European Computers Manufacturers Assn.
and ISO: International Organization for Standardization.
Biographical / Historical:
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X3L2 Standards Committee had responsibility for computer character sets and codes. Eric H. Clamons of Honeywell Information Systems was the fifth chairman of the committee, from 1968 to 1972; the records are from his files.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Eric H. Clamons of Honeywell Information Systems, September 1980.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
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.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mathematics Search this
Extent:
0.6 Cubic feet (2 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Dissertations
Notebooks
Proceedings
Publications
Promotional literature
Technical notes
Theses
Date:
1946-1959
Scope and Contents:
Dr. Worsley's papers include handwritten notebooks, loose notes, memoranda, reprints from her articles in professional journals, and copies of her theses written in fulfillment of the master's and doctor's degree, from MIT and the University of Cambridge, respectively. All of these papers deal with technical and theoretical problems of computer design. Also included are numerous manuals and descriptive materials about them--current models of computers manufactured by IBM and other producers; and proceedings of several conferences of computer specialists.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into 2 series
Series 1: Notes/meeting announcements, 1946-1959
Series 2: Publications, 1947-1955
Biographical / Historical:
It represents personal papers of Dr. Beatrice H. Worsley and other documents. All are concerned with early development of automatic digital computers, circa 1946-1959.
Provenance:
Collection donated by The Department of Computing and Information Service, Queen's University, through Dr. Beatrice H. Worsley, 1971.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
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.
Magazine and newspaper clippings (1955-1974) from various sources, on the development of the computer industry; six rolls of microfilm (1955-1966); and issues of Data Processing Digest, 1970-1974.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into three series.
Series 1, Clippings, 1955-1966
Series 2, Microfilm, 6 rolls, 1955-1966
Series 3, Data Processing Digest Issues, 1970-1974
Biographical/Historical note:
The Data Processing Digest regularly reviews periodicals and books for quick reference. Monthly publication dealing only with material related to the computer industry.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Data Processing Digest, 1968, 1972, 1976.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
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.
