in 1849, and Bell later stationery, matches, scratch conducted experiments in the pads all bear the inscription, Feb. 14th same lab as Meucci. THINK. A monthly magazine called Think is distributed to the On June 11, 2002, the US employees.” Congress naming Meucci as the Bell vs. Gray inventor of the telephone, but IBM became a highly-effective Feb. 14, 1876 many engineers disagree. One organization, based largely remarked, “Meucci’s telephone around punched card tabulating Prev: [June 2] Next: [March 7] was more like two tin cans and a machines [July 20]. For instance, thread.” Watson’s technique of leasing Separate patents for the machines and supplying services telephone were filed on this day was a much more profitable by Alexander Graham Bell and approach than selling the Elisha Gray [Aug 2], setting the The Birth of IBM hardware outright. stage for the controversy over who actually invented the Feb. 14, 1924 By 1952, IBM owned and leased device. Indeed, it's probably the more than 90 percent of all Thomas J. Watson [Feb 17] single most litigated fact in US tabulating machines in the US. decided to rename the history, with Bell's patents Unfortunately this success Computing-Tabulating- having been defended in over triggered an antitrust suit by the Recording Company (C-T-R 600 cases. Department of Justice on [Jan [June 16]), and submitted an 21]. It's true that Bell’s lawyer had application to list his paperwork filed first – the "International application was the fifth Business Machines" on received by the patent office that the New York Stock day, while Gray’s was the 39th. Exchange using the But those numbers are initials IBM. He’d misleading, since Bell's papers never liked the clumsy was handed in directly while hyphenated C-T-R. Gray left his application in an in- Watson had joined the basket. Nevertheless, it was company as General enough, and Bell was awarded Manager on May 1 US patent 174465, on [March 7], 1914, after leaving 1876. National Cash Register (NCR); he A Path to Thinking at IBM Another unsettling aspect of the was promoted to president just Poughkeepsie. Photo by Agiorgio. story was that Gray had kept his 11 months later. CC BY-SA 4.0 invention a secret until the The IBM name came about preceding Friday, Feb. 11. because Watson was looking for Watson's devotion to punched Rumor has it that it was only a way to 'improve' on NCR: cards meant that it wasn’t until when Bell heard of Gray’s work “International” was better than his son, Thomas Watson, Jr. [Jan on that day, that he hurriedly “National”, and “Business 14], became IBM president in prepared his patent application. Machines” was way more 1952, that the company really The rushed nature of the sophisticated than “Cash poured its energies into the paperwork is sometimes Register”. computer field. For example, 'proved' by the way that Bell Watson Sr. had turned down a scribbled an addition in the Watson's business acumen led chance to buy Eckert-Mauchly margin. to rapid improvements at IBM. Computer Corporation [Oct 25] He implemented generous sales in 1949. Admittedly, this Some ten years later (1886), a incentives, an insistence on well- decision may have been patent examiner, Zenas Wilber, groomed, dark-suited salesmen influenced by his bad experience signed a sworn affidavit that Bell [Feb 4], and an almost working with Howard Aiken had paid him a bribe in March evangelical fervor for company [March 8] on the Automatic 1876 to look at the details of pride and loyalty [May 4], [May Sequence Controlled Calculator Gray’s application. This 29]. (ASCC) [Aug 7] in 1944. supposedly gave Bell the necessary hints to convert his Of course, he popularized the On the bright side, this falling vague ideas into a working “THINK” slogan, that he’d out with Aiken meant that IBM system. However, Wilber’s actually coined while at NCR. A decided to focus its funding on claims were dismissed at the biographical article in 1940 Columbia, and Wallace Eckert’s time. noted that “This word is on the [June 19] lab was transformed most conspicuous wall of every into the Watson Scientific Adding to the confusion is that room in every IBM building. Computing Lab [Feb 6]. Several Italian inventor Antonio Meucci Each employee carries a THINK historic computers were began developing a “telegrafo notebook in which to record designed and/or built there parlante” (a talking telegraph), inspirations. The company while Watson Sr. was in charge, 1 including the SSEC ([Jan 27] accomplished it in a sprightly The company became the largest 1948), and the IBM 604 ([June third of a second. supplier of PCs during the 00] 1948). 1990's [Jan 28], even though the In more recent times, various founders had initially iconic computers have been considered starting a chain of compared using the Dhrystone Mexican restaurants instead. Reverend Apple 2.1 benchmark, developed by Reinhold P. Weicker, to calculate The first Compaq PC was Feb. 14, 1981 their MIPS (millions of sketched out on a instructions executed per placemat/napkin by Canion “Reverend Apple”, an Apple II second) score: while dining with the other program, performed its first founders at the “House of Pies” marriage today, on Valentine’s The ENIAC: 0.0029 (obtained in Houston. Their idea was to Day. using a simulator; reverse-engineer the IBM PC The computer displayed the text MITS Altair [Dec 19]: 0.01; [Aug 12] to produce a 100% of the wedding vows, and compatible machine that was vocalized the usual questions. Apple II [April 15] 0.02; considerably cheaper. However, instead of answering Commodore 64 [Jan 7]: 0.02; To get around IBM’s ownership “I do” , the bride and groom had of the machine's BIOS [July 10], to type in “Y”. If either of them Atari 800XL [Nov 00]: 0.165; they hired engineers with no entered “N” then the machine knowledge of that code, put beeped, told them to try again, Raspberry Pi 2 [Feb 29]: 9700. them in a “clean room”, and had and repeated the question Most of the surviving ENIAC them come up with a BIOS of (hopefully not thereby entering hardware is on display at the their own. This was expensive an infinite loop). Smithsonian in Washington DC. (costing an estimated $1 The software was written by Several panels are also on show million), but legal. The resulting M.E. Cavanaugh at the request of at the Heinz Nixdorf Museum in Compaq Portable [Nov 4] was a the Rev. Ron Jaenisch, who stood Paderborn, Germany, and at the massive hit. in attendance with “Reverend Moore School [Aug 7]. In 1987, Murto resigned to join a Apple” while the ceremony was ENIAC's 50th anniversary [six religious education program at being performed/executed. entries on] was also incorrectly the University of St. Thomas celebrated on this day. Officially, the computer was only Jaenisch’s assistant, but Jaenisch's main role was to start First Online a wedding service by pushing a Compaq ‘RUN WED’ button. Rev. Jaenisch was known as the “Archbishop Feb. 14, 1982 Wedding in Charge of Keyboarding”. Compaq (a portmanteau word Feb. 14, 1983 During its first eight months, based on Compatibility And George Mike Stickel, aged 29, “Reverend Apple” Quality) was founded in 1982 by and Debbie Fuhrman, 23, disappointingly only performed Rod Canion, Jim Harris and Bill exchanged wedding vows in six marriages. Jaenisch Murto— all former Texas Grand Praire, Texas via explained, “It’s not easy to Instruments managers [Oct 1]. CompuServe’s CB Simulator convince people to get married chat program [Feb 21]. by a computer. They don’t think it’s romantic.” Sixty-six wedding guests from across the country attended the event online, including the bride’s parents at home in Don’t Trash the Phoenix, Arizona, while her sister was present via hardware ENIAC lent out by a RadioShack [Feb 2] Feb. 14, 1981 store in Sacramento, California. They were frequenting a private For ENIAC’s 35th birthday [Feb CB channel accessible with the 15], the wily old-timer was password “Lovein.” pitted against a state-of-the-art Reverend Kim Payton, a RadioShack TRS-80 Model 1 Universalist minister, stood at [Aug 3] in a colossal battle to one terminal, while Debbie and square all the integers from 1 to Rod Canion (2016). Photo Mike stood across from him at 10,000. The graybearded ENIAC by Frank Schramm. CC BY their own input device, tastefully managed it in six seconds, but 2.0. decorated for the occasion with the TRS-80 (aka the “Trash-80″) two white ceramic swans. 2 Upon receiving the question, “Do design was inspired by the UK you, Debbie, take Mike to be Lemmings children's book "The Wombles", your lawful husband?”, Debbie Feb. 14, 1991 by Elizabeth Beresford. typed in “I will” and the screen flashed “(((((((KISS)))))))”and a Lemmings is a puzzle game shower of periods, commas and developed by Russell Kay, Mike asterisks rained down to Dailly, and David Jones at DMA Project Star Trek represent rice; overcome by Design in Dundee, Scotland for emotion, the bride’s mother the Amiga [July 23]. The game Begins typed in “Sniff.” A complete was inspired by a 8x8 pixel Feb. 14, 1992 transcript of the happy event animation that Dailly created was printed in InfoWorld while experimenting with “Star Trek” [Sept 8] was the magazine on March 14. Deluxe Paint, the de facto art name of a top-secret project by package for the Amiga.