Center for Technology & Innovation, Inc., 321 Water Street, Binghamton, NY 13901,
Telephone: 607-723-8600 email: info@ctandi.org
IBM 1401 Mainframe
The IBM Endicott History & Heritage Center collection documents the evolution of the IBM mainframe from its beginnings in the Automated Sequence Controlled Calculator (1944) through the Clark Board that powered mainframes of the mid 1980s. Featured devices include the IBM 650, RAMAC, IBM 1401, and the IBM System 360 – Model 30.
For an excellent overview of IBM mainframes as well as system specifications, please visit:
The 50th anniversary of the announcement of the IBM 1401was celebrated with a luncheon at IBM Endicott (August 2009) and a reception at the Computer History Museum, Mountain View, CA (November 2009), on the occasion of the opening of an exhibit on the IBM 1401 that included a vintage system restored by volunteers.
IEEE article on rebuilding the 1401 at the Computer History Museum
The IBM 1401 was the world's most popular computer during much of the 1960s.
Five years after its introduction, the 1401 and its compatible family comprised half of all computers in the world. It was the first computer to be installed at more than 10,000 customer sites.
The 1401 was IBM's first high-volume transistorized computer, employing early IBM printed circuitry, the Standard Module System (SMS). The 1401 transitioned thousands of users from plugboard-based accounting machines to stored-program computing, and was the first popular widely available general-purpose computer using all magnetic-core memory for program storage. The 1403 printer set the standard for quality printing during the 1960s and 1970s, and became the industry’s workforce.
1401 “Firsts” Courtesy of Robert Garner, IBM
Who is this dashing IBM engineer from 1959?
