Computer History: IBM 1919 - 1970 Computing Tabulating Recording (data processing, mainframe 360 NU)

IBM Computer History - Restored from an ancient VHS copy, this vintage IBM made film shows IBM’s impressive growth and product versatility from 1919 to about 1970. Film starts at the year 1919, and shows the celebration at Endicott, New York, the "birthplace" of IBM. At that time the company was still called CTR for “Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company.” CTR was renamed "International Business Machines" in 1924. This black & white film runs 22 minutes. Provided for educational and historical purposes; Computer History Archives Project. (Film courtesy of IBM Archives.)
Highlights:
0:19 IBM Convention, Endicott New York in 1919
0:22 Vertical card sorter; Tabulating Machines
01:10 IBM Executive School, sales staff
01:50 Thomas J. Watson, Sr., 1924 IBM named
02:05 The 100 percent club, Atlantic City
02:40 Old numerical printers
05:15 First IBM 600 Multiplier machine 1929
06:00 Thomas J. Watson, Sr., speaks ***
06:51 Thomas J. Watson, Jr., speaks
09:28 World War II influences
10:32 War ends;
10:34 Digital Computing Machine production
13:55 Random Access devices
17:00 IBM System/360
18:00 1964 IBM day at New York World’s Fair
18:20 President Eisenhower with Mr. Watson
19:00 Business and scientific applications & more
Endicott New York is perhaps best known as the "Birthplace of IBM". The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) was founded in Endicott on June 16, 1911, through the consolidation of the International Time Recording Company (ITR), The Tabulating Machine Company, Computing Scale Company, and Bundy Time Recording.
Stats: original view count 13,740

[@jerseybob4471]

Nice trip down memory lane. I worked for IBM from 1967 to 2005. It was quite a ride.

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Hi Jersey Bob, wow, that is quite a length of time! Sounds like you survived the growth, peak expansion, staff reductions, and redirection of products and services many times. I bet you could write a book on the journey! ~ Vk, CHAP

[@davidnull5590]

I knew a man named Tom Fabric from Jefferson Ave. in Endicott, he was a gardener for George W. Johnson there. Mr. Fabric told long stories about a friend of Mr. Johnson named Tom Watson. Tom Watson was establishing a new company and tried repeatedly to sell Mr. Fabric a share of stock in his new company [Think IPO] The price was $5, that was a lot of money at the time. Mr. Fabric lamented at the value of an IPO share in 1969 - it would have been worth around 1.7 million by then, 1.7 million was a lot of money in 1969, it's even a lot of money in 2022.

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Hi David, that's quite a story! That would have been a heck of an IPO to get in on! ~ Victor

[@lesliethomas5845]

Enjoyed both the information and the film segments. Upbeat, yet not overbearing music enhances the experience. Many videos w broader history subjects, select music which detracts quite severely from enjoying the subjects being presented. This presentation was both worthwhile/ useful, as well as enjoyable 🎉 Thank you 💐

[@captainkeyboard1007]

This show gives me an exhortation to appreciate computer technology even more.

[@PatrickRosenbalm]

Very interesting and enjoyable.

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Hi Patrick, thank you for the kind words. ~ Victor, CHAP

[@shaneb3792]

Just think Thomas Watson started out as a NCR Salesman and told the manager to stuff it and started IBM basically

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Hi Shane, true, Tom Watson, Sr., worked for Henry Patterson, founder of NCR. Watson learned a lot from Patterson. One "type A" personality teaching another. Both very business minded, driven individuals. NCR was a massive company back in its early days.

[@frankowalker4662]

That was great. Cheers.

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Hi Franko, thanks. Glad you liked it. I know you didn't ask, but here's what enhancements we did over the previous version: (1) changed from mono to dual track audio, (2) adjusted contrast, clarity, (3) updated intro slides, (4) recompiled, up-scaled from 1080p to "2K" approx. These little tweaks helped. Thanks again! ~ Victor

[@frankowalker4662]

@@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject All that effort realy paid off, Thank you for all your hard work.

[@adambourne5523]

@<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="637">10:37</a> wait didn't we miss a bit of history there? (Dehomag?)

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Hi @adambourne5523, Thanks for the tip! Looking on Wikip.. it says "Dehomag was a German subsidiary of IBM and later a standalone company with a monopoly in the German market before and during World War II. The word was a portmanteau for Deutsche Hollerith-Maschinen GmbH. Hollerith refers to the German-American inventor of the technology of punched cards, Herman Hollerith." .. Good info for next release. Thanks!

[@1944GPW]

At <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1167">19:27</a> the 360 Model 40 console appears to have different CE and Customer Hour Meters (extreme bottom left) that are much larger than those on the production Model 40 panel. Am I looking at it wrong or could it have been another early pre-production demo or mockup display in the White Room?

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Hi 1944GPW, that's a very good question. Unfortunately, we didn't get any background info with this old film (its over 50 years old), so no way to follow up with any specific folks who made it. Maybe one of our sharp viewers can help answer that. I know we have some long time IBM'ers who tune in. ~ Thanks! ~ Victor

[@QuietlyB]

Awesome video 📹

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Hi QuietlyB, glad you enjoyed it! If we ever find original 16mm prints, we will try to upload a better copy. ~ VK, CHAP

[@QuietlyB]

@@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject surely 🔥

[@dalecomer5951]

The Harvard Mark I made a real contribution to WW2. While Eckert and Mauchly were screwing around trying to make an electronic digital computer to generate artillery firing tables for the U.S. Army, IBM built a less ambitious electro-mechanical computer to do the same task for the U.S. Navy's large naval rifles which got the job done. ENIAC didn't produce anything during the War. Soon after the War IBM put one of the Harvard machines on working display at their office in NYC.

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Hi Dale, Interesting! Thanks! It would have been great to see the working demo of the Harvard Mark 1 back in NYC! Sounds fascinating. Re ENIAC, some might say that ENIAC did spur the public and business interest in what a computer could possibly do in the future. In 1946, when ENIAC was announced, there were only a handful of digital computers in the world but by 1956 there were over 100. (1955 Gov't Computer Survey: ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/BRL.html )

[@dalecomer5951]

@@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject Of course, I wouldn't argue the significance of ENIAC in the overall history. It just got off to a slow and expensive start. That is an incredibky extensive and detailed report. My fave would be the MANIAC and MANIAC II. There is a glaring probably OCR error on the reproduced title page: "Department of the Anny Project No. 5B0306002." Also saw many other ones. I've never been very enthusiastic about OCR because of that stuff.

[@OficinaSRMK-2]

Best world without the I.A

[@petergplus6667]

What is IA?

[@pony053]

@@petergplus6667 information age?