Millionaire Calculating Machine
date: label: date made
content: ca 1909
name: label: maker
content: Egli, Hans W.
notes: label: Description
content: This lever-set ,manually operated non-printing calculating machine has a brass mechanism and a metal case with lid. The lid and the flat plates that cover the mechanism are painted black. The carriage is entirely contained within the case. The machine carries out direct multiplication.
label: Description
content: Ten German silver levers are pulled forward to set up numbers. A crank left of these may be set anywhere between 0 and 9 for direct multiplication and division. A lever right of the digit levers may be set at addition, multiplication, division, or subtraction. Right of it is the operating crank. A row of ten windows in front of the levers shows the number set on the levers. It is labeled DIVISOR.
label: Description
content: In front of this is the carriage, with two other rows of windows. The row closest to the levers (further from the front) indicates the multiplier or quotient. The other row shows the result or the dividend. The result windows are labeled DIVIDEND and may be set with a dividend using thumbscrews. The carriage has zeroing knobs for both these registers. Holes for decimal markers are between the digits of all three registers. Between the front two registers, at left, is a button used to shift the carriage. A bell rings if the number in the result window changes sign (as when subtraction produces a negative number).
label: Description
content: A paper sheet inside the lid gives instructions for operating the machine and related tables, along with a cleaning brush and key. The stand is stored separately.
label: Description
content: A mark on the middle of the front of the machine reads: THE MILLIONAIRE. A metal tag on the right reads: Hans W. Egli (/) Ingenieur (/) Fabrikation von Rechenmaschinen (/) Pat. O. Steiger (/) ZURICH II. A metal tag on the left reads: W.A. Morschhauser (/) SOLE AGENT (/) 1 Madison Avenue (/) NEW YORK CITY. Just under this tag is stamped the serial number: No 2609. A mark on the carriage next to the result register reads: PTD MAY 7TH 1895. SEPT. 17TH 1895. Scratched in the middle of the front of the machine is the mark: FOR PARTS ONLY.
label: Description
content: For related documentation see MA.319929.03 through MA.319929.07.
label: Description
content: Daniel Lewin has estimated that Millionaire calculating machines with serial number 1600 date from 1905, and those with serial number 2800, from 1910. Hence the rough date of 1909 is assigned to the object.
label: Description
content: This calculating machine was used by the physicist William F. Meggars of the United States National Bureau of Standards.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: P. A. Kidwell, “American Scientists and Calculating Machines: from Novelty to Commonplace,” <I>Annals of the History of Computing</I>, vol. 12, 1990, pp. 31–40.
label: Description
content: Daniel Lewin, "Die Entwicklungsgeschichte der Rechenmaschinen der Firma H.W. Egli bis 1931" <I>Typenkorb</I>, Nr. 48 and 49, 1992.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Switzerland: Zürich, Zurich
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Calculating Machines
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Edith R. Meggers
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.333940
label: catalog number
content: 333940
label: maker number
content: 02609
label: accession number
content: 319929
objectType: label: Object Name
content: calculating machine on stand
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: german silver (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ferrous metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 86.3 cm x 86.5 cm x 60 cm; 33 31/32 in x 34 1/16 in x 23 5/8 in