Oral history interview with Robert L. Hawkins, 1984 Feb. 20.

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Oral history interview with Robert L. Hawkins, 1984 Feb. 20.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63282988

Hawkins discusses the computer projects he worked on at Harvard University. In 1940 he joined the Mark I project, a collaboration between Harvard and International Business Machines (IBM). When the Mark I was placed in operation in 1943, Hawkins assumed a leading role in its maintenance. He describes the method for locating problems with the Mark I relays and identifies improvements made in the relay contacts enabling the machine to run more reliably. He mentions project director Howard Aiken's dissatisfaction with the off-the-shelf components, counters, relays, card keys, and card punches, supplied by IBM. Hawkins also discusses the personality of Aiken and his expectations of the staff.

Computer data (1 file : 29K)

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

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SNAC Resource ID: 7885053

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Related Entities

There are 5 Entities related to this resource.

International Business Machines Corporation

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6330m1p (corporateBody)

International Business Machines Corporation was incorporated in New York State on June 16, 1911 under the name Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. In 1922, Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. purchased all of the shares of Deutsche Hollerith Maschinen Gesellschaft. In 1924 the official name of the company was changed to International Business Machines Corporation. In 1933, IBM CEO Thomas Watson ordered the merger of IBM subsidiaries in Germany (Optima, Degemag, Holgemag, Dehomag) under the name De...

Harvard University. Computation Laboratory.

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Aspray, William,

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Aiken, Howard H. (Howard Hathaway), 1900-1973

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ww88qm (person)

Howard H. Aiken, applied mathematician and computer scientist, was born on March 8, 1900 in Hoboken, New Jersey. He received his B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1923. After working as an electrical engineer, Aiken studied physics at the University of Chicago from 1931-1932. He then entered Harvard, receiving his S.M. in 1937 and his Harvard Ph.D. in 1939. Aiken served as Instructor in Physics and Communication Engineering from 1937-1939, as Faculty Ins...

Hawkins, Robert O.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ns1sxn (person)

Technician on early Harvard computer projects. From the description of Oral history interview with Robert L. Hawkins, 1984 Feb. 20. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 63282988 ...