HISTORY

H I S T O R I C A L R E M A R K S to Inventors & Calculator-Companies ************************************************************************** ... most of the text is based on the books of (1) Martin REESE / "Neue Blicke auf alte Maschinen" / KOVAC (2) Thomas A. RUSSO / "Antique Office Machines" / SCHIFFER ADDIATOR / ADDIMULT / CORRENTATOR / PRODUX / RECORD The calculator »TRICK«, invented 1911 by Christel Hamann was the template for Otto Meuter's invention of the ADDIATOR. Because he had no money, he joined Carl Kuebler, a businessman, who founded the »ADDIATOR« company in Berlin / Germany in 1920 and O.Meuter got a profit of 50 pence for each calculator produced. But the inflation rate at that time made this worth nothing. O.Meuter tried to change the contract in shared percentage profit, but C.Kuebler refused. O.Meuter started a new partnership with J.Bergmann and produced his calculators under the name PROCALCULO and CORRENTATOR. In 1928 O.Meuter's calculators became successful under the name PRODUX. After WW-II his company split: In West-Germany PRODUX production continued and under the East-German system RECORD calculators were produced until 1988. As a more successful competitor, C.Kuebler's ADDIATOR survived in West- Berlin until the 1980s. FABER-CASTELL was the first company, to made (eg.) pocket-sized slide rules with an ADDIATOR on the back-side to combine "HighMath" with "Add&Sub". After WWII Hans-Wolfgang Kuebler, son of Carl Kuebler, founded his own company to produce competitive ADDIATORS under the name ADDIMULT in Donaueschingen . The model »ADDIFIX-6« in this collection was distributed from the mail-order house NECKERMANN. ADDO The ADDO Company produced adding machines from 1920 on in Malmo, Sweden. After Odhner's patent expired, ADDO build Pin-Wheel calculators under its Brand-Name "MULTO" from 1949 on. In 1966 ADDO merged with FACIT / ODHNER. ALLEN-WALES The ALLEN BUSINESS MACHINES was founded 1932 by Ralph C. Allen in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The WALES ADDING MACHINE was founded in 1903 as ADDER MACHINES in Detroit and in 1918 renamed after the name of its founder. In 1923 WALES acquired the POWER ACCOUNTING MACHINES CO. and after ALLEN bought WALES, the company became in 1938 also distributor of FACIT machines. In 1944 ALLEN-WALES was acquired by NCR. AMERICAN ADDING MACHINE The » AMERICAN CAN COMPANY « in Chicago, Illinois, patented this » AMERICAN ADDING MACHINE « in 1912. They sold it for 35 Dollar in 1913. The machine became such a great success, that the company renamed to » AMERICAN ADDING MACHINE CO. « in 1924. ASTRA The ASTRAWERKE AG in Chemnitz, Saxonia / (East-)Germany was founded in 1921 from John E.Greve. Their first calculater was "Model A" and it was the 1st 10-Block Keyboard in Europe. Improvements followed with Models B .. D and the company was growing. Their speciality became accounting machines. After WWII Chemnitz was renamed in Karl-Marx-Stadt and the East Germany's government took control of ASTRA. But their success continued: The "Klasse-170" were called "Queen of Accounting Machines". ASTRA and WANDERER were joined to VEB BUEROMASCHINENWERK ( VEB = "Volks Eigener Betrieb" ) in 1953. In 1959 their logo changed from "ASTRA" to "ASCOTA". Renamed in ROBOTRON BUCHUNGSMASCHINENWERK KARL-MARX-STADT, 1978 an 8-Bit-Computer, in 1986 a 16-Bit-Computer was produced and in 1990 also a Personal Computer - But 1991 the company was liquidated ( "abgewickelt" ) after Germany's Unification. MORE ... http://www.prochemnitz.de/foerderzentrum/Rt/Astra.htm BELL-PUNCH ... adapted from: http://anita-calculators.info/html/origins_of_bell_punch_co_.html The British Bell Punch Co., Limited, was founded in 1878. With American patent rights TICKET PUNCH MACHINES where produced for tramway companies in England and the London bus and underground system. In 1894 the company suffered a disastrous fire. Relocated, the company expanded rapidly in the early 1900s when many of the company-owned tramways operating in the provinces were taken over by the municipalities - and it was then that the extensive electri- fication of tramway systems in the country took place. Up to about 1930 there had been no company in England involved in the manufacture of TAXIMETER and the trade was entirely dependent on meters imported from abroad.The manufacture of taximeters fitted in with the Bell Punch Company's scheme of cash control. As an adjunct to its ticket control systems the company acquainted a small adding mechanism developed by Petters, Limited, of Yeovil. The ADDING MACHINE was named PLUS and some tens of thousands have been sold both at home and abroad. Half- and full-keyboard models, decimal and non-decimal versions were made. BRUNSVIGA The "Pin-Wheel" mechanism was invented independently in the USA (1872) by Frank S.Baldwin and in Europe (1874) by Willgodt T.Odhner. In 1892 the ODHNER CO. licenced patent rights to the sewing machine company Grimme, Natalis & Co. - later named BRUNSVIGA Werke in Braunschweig / Germany. Its chief-engineer Franz Trinks promoted the BRUNSVIGA at such success, that the competitor ODHNER CO. (former St. Petersburg / Russia, later Goeteborg / Sweden) attached the sign "Original" to their machines to distinguish them from their identical look in the beginning. BRUNSVIGA machines improved tremendously ("System Trinks") and after 1900 the "BRUNSVIGA" became a synonym for "Calculating-Machines" in Europe. In 1932 BRUNSVIGA made the "Model 10" with "Split-Stepped-Drum" technique ( System BALDWIN/MONROE - Descendant "11E" is also in this collection ) and had great success with this economical calculator too. In 1955 KOMET was bought and became the BRUNSVIGA "TA". Finally, in 1959, BRUNSVIGA joined the Typewriter & Calculator Company OLYMPIA Werke in Wilhelmshaven / Germany. BURROUGHS William S.Burroughs developed his own adding machine in St.Louis while working for Frank S.Baldwin, who was famous for his construction of the pin-wheel based calculating machine. Without knowledge of Dorr E.Felt, W.S.Burroughs had the same idea using an "Active Keyboard" to perform addition immediately when all digits of a number are entered (using all fingers at the same time) simultanieously without additional cranking. Despite applying one year earlier than D.E.Felt, W.S.Burroughs patent was issued in 1888, a year later than D.E.Felt's COMPTOMETER. W.S.Burroughs died 1898, too early to enjoy the phenomenal success of the BURROUGHS CO. he founded. In 1904 the factory moved from St.Louis, Missouri to Detroit, Michigan / USA and became "Largest Adding Machine Factory in the World". The beautiful styling & durability of the BURROUGHS CLASS 3 Adding Machine was manufactured between 1911-1929. "Many models were constructed with over 5,000 parts, with as many as 2000 moving in together at any one time. This machine was considered one among the most technologically advanced of it's time, and commanded a price comporable to that of a new car." ( citated from the http://www.computinghistorymuseum.org ) Their success met the "Electronic Age" when BURROUGHS with SPERRY-UNIVAC united 1986 to become UNISYS. COMPTOMETER Dorr E.Felt invented the COMPTOMETER 1885 without knowledge of William S.Burroughs' developments. Both of them realized the same idea of an "Active Keyboard" to perform addition immediately when the number is entered simultanieously (using all figures at the same time) - without any additional cranking. Because D.E.Felt had no access to costly tools, he prototyped his first model out of a wooden macaroni box, skewers, rubber bands and staples. D.E.Felt filed for a patent a year later than W.S.Burroughs, but got the patent in 1887, a year earlier. He founded the Felt & Tarrant Manufacturing Co. in Chicago, Illinois / USA in the same year. The first COMPTOMETERs came in wooden cases and are collector items today. Over the years the machines got important improvements, an "Error Lock" against wrong handling e.g. The success of the COMPTOMETER lasted till the 1970s, because skilled operators could speed-up book- keeping calculations faster than with those "modern" 10-Key-Block Adders. In 1961 the company merged with VICTOR to form VICTOR COMPTOMETER CO. For more details see the "COMPTOMETER-HomePage" by Brooke W. Boering: http://members.cruzio.com/~vagabond/ComptHome.html CONTEX The company was founded by the "Carlsen Brothers" in Gentoft, Danmark in 1923. They designed and manufactured inventive business machines: calculators, printers and copiers. Two lines of interesting and innovative mechanical calculators came on the market under the name »CONTEX« in the '50s and '60s. The 1st line was a key-driven adding machine in style of a Comptometer, with a "half" keyboard and simplified mechanism. Model »A« was an "open" and model »B« was a "closed" version. The 2nd line was a series of 10-Block keyboard machines. The CONTEX-10 was a manual one. The CONTEX-20 was motor-driven. The CONTEX-30 had improved motor-driven multiplication and division. The CONTEX-55 has its own DIVISION REGISTER to complete the division full automatically. In 1980's CONTEX developed large-format scanners. With its manufacturing facilities in Svendborg, Denmark, CONTEX is also today in this field. CURTA CURTA is named after its inventor Curt Herzstark (1902-1988), who found the urgent needed solution how to build a real "Pocket-Calculator" for architects and engineers in the field. He formulated his idea while he was prisoner in the KZ (Concentration Camp) Buchenwald under Hitler's terror regime. After WW-II the prince of Liechtenstein became interested and the CONTINA company was established... The story along with excellent pictures of CURTA's functionality, written by Cliff Stoll was published in Scientific American, Jan.2004, p.92-99. For more details see also the "CURTA-HomePage" by Jan Meyer: http://www.CURTA.de FACIT In 1918 the Axel Wibel company in Stockholm produced their first FACIT calculator: An Odhner/pin-wheel type. In 1924 A.Wibel along with the name FACIT was taken over by the Atvidaberg Industries. In 1932 the "Model T" (upon the patent of Charles Rudin from 1928) with "Dalton"-type keyboard came on the market. An electrical powered "Model E" was produced in 1936. In 1943 FACIT calculators changed colors from black to green and 1958 to gray. The cases were designed by Sigvard Bernadotte, a member of the Swedish Royal family. FACIT became part of the ELECTROLUX CO. in 1973. For more details see also the "FACIT-HomePage" by Harald Schmid: http://www.rechenautomat.de FELIKS The ODHNER Calculators, produced in St.Petersburg/Russia, came to an halt in 1917 because the "October Revolution". The factory became a Russia-run business. Odhner moved to Sweden and founded the "ORIGINAL-ODHNER" company in Goeteborg. In Russia the production of ODHNER calculators was continued under the name "FELIKS": In 1924 the factory was moved to Moscow by Feliks Dzerzhinsky, later also head of a predecessor-organization of the KGB! HAMANN 1st FAQ: "Are you related to Christel Hamann?" ------------------------------------------------- No clue - But there could be a chance that we share the same gene pool: My father's family has roots in North-German/Schleswig-Holstein area. 2nd FAQ: "Christel or Christian Hamann?" ------------------------------------------- Definitely his christian name is "Christel", but this is usually a female name in German. In a USA patent document, I know, he has signed as "Christian Hamann" (to stop the confusion?). As a result he is cited in the USA also as "Christian Hamann"... "Christel Hamann - An Archimedes of the 20th Century" ----------------------------------------------------- According to museum catalogues (e.g. Arithmeum, Bonn + Verkehr&Technik, Berlin), the German Christel Hamann (1870-1948) was a genius inventor of new and different construction principles for calculating machines. Early inventions were made in his Mathematisch-Mechanisches Institut (founded 1896 in Berlin): The ADAM RIESE (1909, an adding machine), LOGARITHMUS (1910, direct multiplying & printing, an improved version of a pin-wheel based machine), TRICK (1912, a Pre-ADDIATOR calculator) and TASMA (1924, a small visible-printing adder). His 1905 patented GAUSS, a circular stepped-drum calculator, was later produced by MERCEDES-Bueromaschinenwerke in Berlin. In 1910 he invented the famous "Proportional-Lever" machines MERCEDES-EUKLID, also with motorized multiplication and division. After WW-I the MERCEDES company moved to Zella-Mehlis in Thueringen and produced this calculator-type also after WW-II as a GDR-run business. Sometime the extension -EUKLID was dropped and from 1963 the name was changed to CELLATRON... In 1925 C.Hamann invented a new type of calculators with "Switching-Latch" mechanism, the HAMANN-MANUS. The Deutsche Telephonwerke & Kabelindustrie (=DeTeWe), Berlin asked him to became chief-engineer and produced his machines under his name with great success. The line included manual and electrical machines with automatic multiplication and division, e.g.: HAMANN-AUTOMAT, HAMANN-SELECTA, HAMANN-DELTA (with mechan.memory!). All were trend-setters in the market. In 1958 the calculator branch of DeTeWe was sold to the American SCM company, but the HAMANN line continued. His BIOGRAPHY ( and a lot more! ) can be found at Georgi Dalakov's http://history-computer.com/People/HamannBio.html KOMET ... adapted from: http://www.bluemich.net/rechner/ In 1951 Hugo Schumann founded »KOMET« in Frankfurt am Main / Germany to make & distribute affordable calculating machines. In the beginning machines based on patents of RESULTA were produced by Siegfried Link in Feinmechanische Werkstatt in Griesheim b. Darmstadt. In 1953 S.Link's own development, the small full-keyboard adding machine »TA«, was launched - with no success: In 1955 the company vanished and the »TA« was taken over by BRUNSVIGA as Model »90_TA«. LIPSIA With experiences in calculator design and production (with BRUNSVIGA & TRIUMPHATOR), Otto Holzapfel (together with Paul Bastaenier) founded 1914 the » OTTO HOLZAPFEL & Cie. Rechenmaschinenfabrik « in Leipzig. Their Pin-Wheel calculator »Model-11R« was a success in the 1930s and much cheaper than the machines of the competitors (eg. BRUNSVIGA or TRIUMPHATOR). The small adding machine »ADDI-7« became successful too. Leipzig was in East-Germany and after WWII the GDR administration ex- propriated and later deleted the HOLZAPFEL company. The »ADDI-7« was modified and produced from TRIUMPHATOR as »KA« (= "KleinAddierer"). MADAS In 1893 Hans W. Egli started the production of the »MILLIONAIRE« in Zurich / Swizerland. His friend, Otto Steiger, had invented a direct multiplying calculating machine. In 1913 a new line of "Automatic Calculators", designed by Erwin Jahnz, came in production under the name »MADAS«. The name MADAS was an acronym for "Multiplication, Automatic Division, Addition & Subtraction". MARCHANT MARCHANT Calculating Machine Co. was founded 1910 in Oakland, California by the brothers Rodney & Alfred Marchant. First calculators made were based on ODHNER-Types. In 1918 (in response to patent troubles) employee Carl M.F. Friden designed a new type of successful calculators. Friden became chief designer until he left 1934 to found his own FRIDEN company. In 1958 MARCHANT joined with SMITH-CORONA to became the "M" in »SCM«. McCaskey ... adapted from: http://www.oocities.org/typeytoywidow/McCaskeyHistory.html ( SORRY, Only Text was available - No original pictures are saved ) In 1903 Perry A. McCaskey founded the McCASKEY REGISTER Co. in Alliance, Ohio / USA. The company became a big success. In 1953 the McCaskey Co. was bought by VICTOR. MELITTA The Pin Wheel Calculator MELITTA was produced by MERCEDES in Zella-Mehlis parallel to Hamann's EUKLID Proportional Lever Calculators. From 1926 the MELITTA was produced by WALTHER under the brand name WALTHER and also as MELITTA for MERCEDES. After WWII the factory was destroyed and WALTHER restarted production in Niederstotzingen/Wuertemberg, West-Germany. Former employees of the Zella-Mehlis/Thueringen branch in East-Germany restored the MELITTA production in Suhl/Thueringen in the FORTUNA-WERK (a typewriter factory) under East-Germany's government control. Shortly after it was renamed in "VEB ERNST-THAELMANN-WERK". MERCEDES (a) Production of the HAMANN/EUKLID Proportional Lever Calculators ... ===========>>> see HAMANN <<<=========== (b) Under the name MELITTA also Pin Wheel Calculators until 1926 ... ===========>>> see MELITTA <<<=========== ===========>>> see WALTHER <<<=========== MILLIONAIRE ( cited from IBM History Archive ) Swiss engineer Otto Steiger (1858-1923) invented the "Millionaire" - the first commercially successful machine based on the principle of direct multiplication ( "1x1-Koerper" ) - and patented it in 1893. It was manufactured and marketed by the Hans Egli Company of Zurich beginning in 1899. By the early 1900s, two thousand were in use, and the last of 4,655 "Millionaire" machines was sold in 1935. In 1913 a new line of "Automatic Calculators", designed by Erwin Jahnz, came in production under the name »MADAS«. MONROE Independent of W.T.Odhner (1874) in Europe, in the USA Frank S.Baldwin set up the "Pin-Wheel" mechanism in 1872 to build calculators. In 1911 F.S.Baldwin teamed with Jay R.Monroe to develop a "Split-Stepped-Drum" calculator with full-keyboard. They were easy to make and light-weight. This was the start of the MONROE Calculating Co. in New York, which moved later to Orange, New Jersey / USA. As a successful company they survived into the "Electronic Age". The Adding/Printing Calculator »MONROE« Mod.811-H14 in this collection was made by OLYMPIA Werke Wilhelmshaven / West-Germany. The same machine came to the European market with its »OLYMPIA« logo. It seems, that this calculator was one of the best on the market of that time: Nice looking, small, easy to change paper roll and ribbon, printing negative numbers and also "real" negative results in red. In the MONROE catalog of 1965 it is stated, that this "Little Giant" has a "foreign origin"... NCR The first "Cash Register" was made by James and John Ritty in Dayton, Ohio. James Ritty was owner of a good running saloon in Dayton - but there were no profits. Ritty was suspicious that his bartenders had their hands in the cash drawer. Together with his brother he build the first "Incorruptible Cashier" in the "National Manufacturing Co." In 1883 John H. Patterson became shareholder and in 1884 owner of the company. Patterson made substantial improvements, renamed the company to THE NATIONAL CASH REGISTER CO. and launched sales initiatives. "He revolutionized the worlds way of doing business. Before most of merchants had no idea how much profit they should have made at the end of a year or even how much was missing from their cash box at the end of the day. The cash register gave them, for the first time, the means of running their businesses professionally and systematically." In 1926 NCR became publicly owned. Although famous for its beautiful mechanical brass cash registers (designed by Tiffany), NCR announced in 1957 its first fully transistorized business computer, the »NCR-304«. Inventing the "Liquid Crystal Display" in 1968, the first commercially available bar code scanner in 1974, NCR survived into modern "Computer World". NISA After World War II the German MIRA Rechenmaschinen Fabrik in Heinichen bei Reichenbach became Czech territory (Hanichov) and moved to Prosec near Jablonec on the river Nisa (German = Neisse). Calculators were produced with Russian construction plans from 1930s, based on MONROE templates. The company was successful in the Eastern Block, because the economical "Split-Stepped-Drum" machines could co-exist beside the more expensive "Pin-Wheel" mechanics of the Russian FELIKS and the East-German competitors TRIUMPHATOR and MELITTA. The »NISA-K2« calculator of this collection is nearly identical to the »MONROE-LX« internally, but has another (quite nice) look in its plastic design. According to http://www.rechnerlexikon.de the YEAR-CODE started with A=1950, B=1951, ... The following number ref. to the year's quarter. Eg.: »K5« in this collection: 178102 / X3-22092 ( X3 = 1972/3rd Q.) The 1st number is an identifier for the ( Eastern-Block ) manufacturer. 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 ========================================================================== A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y Z REMARK: There is no "Q" in the Czech Alphabet! NUMERIA ( REF.: M.Reese & P.Haertel in "Historische Buerowelt Nr.77, Dec.2007 ) In 2000 calculator collectors got the surprising "NEWS", that the Italien »NUMERIA« is NOT a MONROE-Clone! The mechanic is NOT the Split-Step-Drum principle but a modified Pin-Wheel with AXIAL SPROCKETS. LAGOMARSINO of Milano, founded 1896, was in the begin a distributor of calculators and typewriters. In 1938 production started with the licenced Swedish 10-Key adding machine »ADDO-X« under the name »TOTALIA«. The »NUMERIA« was patented 1938 in Switzerland and produced 1940 first by SICMU (= Societa Italiana Commercio Macchine per Ufficico), later by FABRICA ADDIZIONATRICE ITALIANA, Milano - what became LAGOMARSINO S.p.A. ODHNER The Swedish Willgodt T. Odhner invented the pin wheel principle in Europe in 1874 independent from Frank S. Baldwin, who had the same idea in the USA in 1872. Odhner produced his calculators in St.Petersburg / Russia until the "October Revolution" in 1917, the factory became a Russia-run business. Odhner moved to Sweden and founded the "ORIGINAL-ODHNER" company in Goeteborg. He attached "Original" on its name, because the look-alike calculators from BRUNSVIGA (made according to a bought patent from Odhner) was a very strong competitor. ( In Russia the production of ODHNER calculators was continued under the name FELIKS: In 1924 the factory was moved to Moscow by Feliks Dzerzhinsky, later the head of the KGB ... ) OLIVETTI Camillo Olivetti had studied electrical engineering in Turin / Italy. In 1893 he was asked to accompany one of his professors on a lecture tour of the universities in the USA. As a result he accepted an "Assistant Professorship" in the Electrical Engineering Department of Stanford University. After one year he returned to Italy, spent several years in study and production of electrical and mathematical devices. In 1908 he founded the 1st Italian typewriter factory in Ivrea near Turin. The "Ing. C. Olivetti & C., S.p.A." grew rapidly and opened subsidaries in Europe and the rest of the world. 1930 OLIVETTI moved into teleprinters and calculators. One of the key figures behind the company's rapid expansion was Adriano Olivetti: Camillo's son established a corporate style and culture that won OLIVETTI a unique place in European industrial history. Eg.: LEXIKON-80 (an office typewriter, 1950) & LETTERA-22 (a portable typewriter, 1950) and the famous DIVISUMMA (a full-automatic printing calculator, 1956) - all designed by Natale Nizzoli. In 1959 the US typewriter company UNDERWOOD was acquisitioned. Investments in electronics (with a research lab in Pisa) let OLIVETTI present Italian's 1st transistorized computer, ELEA-9003 in 1959. In 1965 OLIVETTI presented the P101, a forerunner of the personal computer. With broad palettes of office products, ranging from electronic word processors, calculators, printers, fax machines, cash registers and photocopiers OLIVETTI has survived into the modern world of telecommunication. For more details see OLIVETTI's HomePage: http://olivetti.se/history.htm OLYMPIA ===========>>> see also BRUNSVIGA + MONROE <<<=========== The company started after the invention of the "Pointing Typewriter" MIGNON by Friedrich v.Hefner-Alteneck, engineer of AEG ( = ALLGEMEINE ELEKTRIZITAETSGESELLSCHAFT ) in Berlin: In 1903 a company was founded to produce the »MIGNON«, the UNION SCHREIBMASCHINENGESELLSCHAFT. In 1923 the company moved to Erfurt and was renamed AEG DEUTSCHE WERKE. In 1930 it was renamed EUROPA SCHREIBMASCHINEN. Until the end of production in 1933, there were 49 different Font-Cylinders available! Their new typewriters were very successful under the name »OLYMPIA«, and in 1936 the company was renamed again OLYMPIA BUEROMASCHINENWERKE. In WWII the factory was destroyed. "Leftovers" in Erfurt (East-Germany) became OPTIMA BUEROMASCHINENWERKE a GDR-run business - Former employees founded in Wilhelmshaven (West-Germany) the new OLYMPIA WERKE under AEG share-holding. OLYMPIA's peak was in the 1970s when it was the largest producer of office machines in Germany. The rise of small-computers brought this classic mechanical industry to a halt. With the re- organization of Daimler-Benz/AEG/Olympia, the OLYMPIA branch was sold and the new owner in Asia formed the OLYMPIA INTERNATIONAL HOLDING LTD. PRECISA The company PRECISA was founded 1935 by Ernst Jost to produce mechanical calculating machines (from 1942 on) in Zurich-Oerlikon / Swiss. End of the 50s the company had more than 1000 employees in a world network. PRECISA AG fusioned 1964 with the typewriter manufacturer HERMES and renamed HERMES-PRECISA INTERNATIONAL AG. Additional production of electronic Precision-Scales. Assumption of HERMES by OLIVETTI. The production of calculators ended in the 70s, but the production of Precision-Scales continues until today. PRODUX The story begins with ADDIATOR. In the '30s Otto Meuter is planning a "real" calculating machine. It should have a market beside the "big" BRUNSVIGA, HAMANN, THALES, TRIUMPHATOR and WALTHER when the machine is much cheaper. This is only to achieve with parts made out of sheet-metal. After WWII Otto Meuter became a prisoner of the Russians for 4 years. In 1952 he started the production of the MULTATOR with his son Claus. Otto Meuter died in 1975 but could enjoy its success: Over 100.000 were sold until the end of production in 1973. QUELLE QUELLE is a ware house chain and a mail-order house in Germany. The calculator shown here was made by EIKO Business Machine Co.Ltd / Japan. The "Futuristic Design" from the 1960/70s is still very attractive today. REMA In Braunschweig/Germany the REMA Co. was the manufacturer of the »REMA« (= ACRONYM for REchenMAschine ), known for small size, light weight & quality. In 1922 REMA was absorbed by the bigger BRUNSVIGA Co. of Braunschweig with the side effect to neutralize a competitor and got REMA's patents and engineers. In the beginning the »REMA« production continued. REMINGTON-RAND In 1927 James H. Rand bought the REMINGTON TYPEWRITER CO. and made it a part of his newly formed REMINGTON RAND CORPORATION. Adding machines were manufactured from 1932 in the »Accounting Machine Division« of Buffalo, New York. 1955 REMINGTON RAND merged with SPERRY-UNIVAC and later in 1986 with BURROUGHS to form UNISYS. R E M A R K : REMINGTON RAND is also famous for its invention in 1937 of the first Electric Dry Shaver... RESULTA The mini adding machines RESULTA (operated with a pen) were produced from 1927 until 1969 by Maschinen und Werkzeugfabrik Paul Bruening in (West-) Berlin / Germany (in the beginning under the name "Minerva"). P.Bruening made several (patented) improvements over the years. A DETAILED RESULTA-HISTORY (in German) can be found in the colection of WOLF BLUEMICH: http://www.bluemich.net/rechner/rmresulta.htm RHEINMETALL "RHEINMETALL" was founded 1889 as "Rheinische Metallwaren- und Maschinen- fabrik AG in Duesseldorf/Germany as a weapon manufacturer. After WW-I the production switched to non-military: e.g. locomotives (later connected with BORSIG/Berlin) and office equipment. SCHUBERT ===========>>> see THALES <<<=========== SUMMIRA Similiar to RESULTA, the bigger SUMMIRA calculators also monitor the input in a separate display, but they are operated with fingers. They were produced by Paul G.Mueller in Roisdorf bei Bonn / Germany. THALES The history of »THALES« started with Emil Schubert. In 1906 he was a foreman at the TRIUMPHATOR-WERK and was involved with the development of the "Pin-Wheel" calculator production from the beginning. In 1911 he decided to form a company (together with the businessman L.Haberer) to produce calculators of his own. The later success of the »THALES« was due to Max Mueller. He had a talent for business and had also good connections. In 1933, unfortunately, M.Mueller was found guity of embezzlement and was forced to leave the company. In 1936 the National Socialists forced E.Schubert to leave his company without taking his patents. He then found a new company to produce the »SCHUBERT« (!) calculators. After WWII, in 1946, M.Mueller came back to head the THALES-WERKE in Rastatt. Their "Pin-Wheel" calculators were successful on the world market until the late 60s. TIM Ludwig Spitz was involved in the calculator business for "Saxonia" and "Arthur Burkhardt". In 1907 he founded his own factory in Berlin: "RECHENMASCHINENFABRIK LUBWIG SPITZ & CO." He named his step-drum machine with one arithmetic unit "TIM" (= Time-Is-Money) and "UNITAS" the machine with two arithmetic units. TORPEDO The company was founded in 1896 as »Peter Weill & Co.« in Frankfurt a.M. (Roedelheim) to produce bikes. In 1906 additionally typewriters were produced and the company renamed to TORPEDO-WERKE AG. Its 1st German 4-key-row portable typewriter, and the invention of segment switching (in contrary to lifting the carriage) made publicity. In 1931 the REMINGTON-RAND CORP., New York became the main share-holder. The international success of the company was interrupted by WWII, because most of the production facilities were destroyed. After 1945 the re- construction was done with the restless help of former employees and soon the production was running again. 1952 TORPEDO was successful in the world market with a broad spectrum of accounting machines and typewriters. One model became famous, because Mss. Hanne Friess won the 1st "World Speed Writing Contest" in Monte Carlo 1955 with a TORPEDO-SOLITAER typewriter. After the boom in the bike market 1954/55 an overwelming amount of competitors let TORPEDO drop the production of bicycles and motor cycles in favour to focus on office machines: 40% of all accounting machines, produced in (West-)Germany came from TORPEDO. In 1967 the production came to halt. TRIUMPHATOR TRIUMPHATOR, together with BRUNSVIGA and ODHNER, belongs to the 3 world- famous companies for "Pin-Wheel" type calculators. Their begin was 1900 as a vacuum-tube company. In Leipzig-Lindenau ( with a mechanic from BRUNSVIGA, Otto Holzapfel) the calculator production started 1904 under the brand name »TRIUMPHATOR«. As the first company world-wide, its counter units where made with 10s-carry to perform "Shortened Methode of Multiplication". 1912 an other man of BRUNSVIGA joined: Boleslaus Benas became "General Salesman" and brought TRIUMPHATOR to success: 1920 the company moved to Moelkau near Leipzig (in a former pianoforte manufacture building) and 1930 the year-production of TRIUMPHATOR was alike of its competitor BRUNSVIGA. After WWII, 1946, the East Germany's government took control and the company produced calculators mainly for the "Eastern Bloc". 1965 the production (after 61 continuing years) came to an end. UNDERWOOD ===========>>> see OLIVETTI CALCULATORS <<<=========== ===========>>> see also UNDERWOOD TYPEWRITER HISTORY <<<=========== UNIS, Berville_Paris / France U N I S means "Union Nationale Inter Syndicale", which was a protective name invented in 1916 by a french chamber of commerce. Goal was to unify different french products under one logo with a standard of quality ... May be to counter the famous "Made in Germany" ? In this collection is also a UNIS SLIDE RULE. VICTOR The VICTOR Adding Machine Co. in Chicago, Illinois / USA, was founded 1918 by Oliver Johantgen and funded by Carl Buehler. Production started with their "Model 110" (full-keyboard, non-printing) and it was the first truly portable (35 lb) adding machine compared to the 100 lb ones of its competitors. 1921 printing versions were introduced and in 1924 machines with sub-total, total and subtraction were made. 1914 modern 10-Key-Block design was introduced by Oscar J.Sundstrand (of SUNDSTRAND Adding Machine Co. He sold his rights to UNDERWOOD and worked there until 1949). In 1950 he joined VICTOR and designed the VICTOR printing machines introduced in 1954. The company was very successful and 1961 they united with the COMPTOMETER company Felt & Tarrant to form the VICTOR-COMPTOMETER-Corp. They survived into the "Electronic Age" with a high-quality CP/M Micro- Computer VICTOR-9000 - but failed in the race with the IBM-PCs. WALTHER The German WALTHER company was famous for manufacturing weapons. In 1926 the company started a civil branch to produce calculators based on the MERCEDES MELITTA licence purchased from another German company. WALTHER in Zella-Mehlis became very successful and a competitor of BRUNSVIGA in Braunschweig. After WW-II WALTHER-Bueromaschinen moved from Zella-Mehlis to Niederstotzingen / West-Germany and continued their success to 1970s. WARD Montgomery-Ward was a ware house chain in the USA. The calculator shown here was made by EIKO Business Machine Co.Ltd / Japan. The "Futuristic Design" from the 1950/60s is still very attractive today. impressum: ************************************************************************** © C.HAMANN http://public.BHT-Berlin.de/hamann 12/14/23