MIT unveils IBM 704 computer at ribbon cutting - the first on campus computer ever!

On this day in 1957, MIT unveiled a dedicated research center housing a $2.7 million IBM 704 computer, weighing in at nearly 20,000 lbs. Donated by IBM as a contribution to advance research and education in the nascent field of computer science, the installation of the IBM 704 marked an important moment in computer history. The 704 was MIT’s first public computer and the largest computer installed in any academic institution at the time.

Since 1957, IBM and MIT have …

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