I finally had a chance to visit the Computer History Museum, just a few miles away from Google’s headquarters in Mountain View CA, in the heart of Silicon Valley. The Computer History Museum dubs it self as the having the world’s largest international collection of computing artifacts and based upon viewing this collection, it’s hard to argue against it.
From what is considered to be the very first computer in the 19th century Babbage Engine to Apple Computer’s first Apple I to the massive Cray supercomputers, curious geeks, technoheads, gamers, business managers and the average layperson interested in computers have plenty of interesting artifacts to view. The museum’s gallery seems to be on only a single level at the site of the former home of Silicon Graphics, a company that thrived during the Internet boom, only to claim bankruptcy protection in 2006. But it’s pretty certain anyone who views this single level of exhibits, will walk away completely satisfied.
Upon first entering the building, you’ll like notice a single employee manning the ticket counter, and a small café that serves both coffee and wine along with great salads and sandwiches, if you so desire. Also currently in the lobby is a glass display containing an original Macintosh computer, along with a photo of Steve Jobs, with the caption reading “Remembering Steve Jobs 1955-2011″.
Beyond the lobby you can view a video inside the Orientation Theater, depicting the history of the computer. Although not required, the video only takes a few minutes so if you have that extra time, it’s worth viewing.
Upon leaving the Orientation Theater you will then enter the doors that lead to the main exhibit, called “Revolution: The First 2,000 Years of Computing”. Just past the entrance you can view a number of ancient abaci, which in essence are the first primitive versions of a calculator, whose history actually stretches much further than 2,000 years. After viewing this intriguing assortment of abaci, you will literally walk through the portions of the museum that display the various timelines in the history of the development of the computer, which includes one of the famous Enigma machines that were used most notably by Nazi Germany during World War II, the early office use of the punch card, the first general purpose computer known as ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), analog computers, supercomputers and of course, the earliest forms of personal computers as well as the birth of the Internet and the World Wide Web.
Of the several pioneering personal computers on display are the aforementioned Apple I, the Apple Lisa, IBM’s first personal computer, the IBM Personal Computer CPU, which boasted the then blazingly fast Intel 8088 microprocessor and MS-DOS, and the Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor). Also not to be missed are the equally impressive collection of video gaming units such as the Atari 2600, the early Nintendos and the very first working prototype of Atari’s Pong game.
The grand finale is the impressive Babbage Difference Engine No. 2, which was the brainchild of English mathematician and inventor, Charles Babbage, who first came up with the idea of a mechanical computer way back in 1822. Although Babbage did not live to see the completion of Difference Engine, he has been credited as being the “father of the computer”. Only two of the Difference Engine No. 2 machines exist in the world today and both were built within the last 22 years. Besides the one in Mountain View, the first built machine resides at the London Science Museum and was completed in 1991.
The Computer History Museum also features an educational program with lectures from leading scientists and innovators in the field computer science and technology. The museum also sponsors special interest groups such as computer restorations and software preservation.
If you are ever in the Silicon Valley area, you might be interested in taking a morning or afternoon to stop by the Computer History Museum. It is right off Highway 101 so it is easily accessible.