Office Automation & Business Machines 1947 (IBM Chinese Character Typewriter, China, full video)
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- Опубліковано 19 жов 2021
- A Pre-Computer Look at Office Automation & Business Machines of 1947. This Vintage film describes many high-end business machines found in offices of the 1940’s, including the IBM Chinese Character Typewriter, and various machines for filming, stenciling, folding, lithographing, micofiche storage, a Fileomatic, an Electronic Wire Recording and much more.
* * The CHINESE TYPEWRITER sequence can be seen at time index 12:29
Also shown is speed typist Stella Pajunas, using an IBM Model A Electric Typewriter, who set a one-hour typing speed record in 1946 of 140 words per minute.
Full original film runs about 16 minutes. (Audio/video enhancements, uploaded by Computer History Archives Project. With thanks to Internet Archives and AV Geeks.)
More info on the IBM Chinese Character Typewriter, see also Post article:
www.scmp.com/magazines/post-m...
On June 28, 1944, Kao Chung-Chin, an inventor at IBM, was awarded a patent on December 17, 1946 for his invention of a 36 key typewriter that used numbers to represent Chinese Characters. (Wikipedia)
www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/modelb/modelb_4509PH04.html
www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhib...
For Vintage Office Machines, see also Old Office Machines & Furniture
www.wkinsler.com/office/index....
Vari-typewriter at the National Museum of American History
americanhistory.si.edu/collec...
Autotypist
collection.sciencemuseumgroup... - Наука та технологія
This film was an absolute “trip!” How antiquated all the systems of the late 1940s were as compared to their modern day equivalent systems! I truly enjoyed this.
Hi Robert, glad you enjoyed this ancient video! Glad you found our channel, too! ~ Victor, at CHAP
This film and show almost took me on a "natural high." I was born in 1953, but learned typewriting on a manual typewriter when I was 12 years-old. I worked my first job as a typist while I was a high school student. Then I worked in other business offices, using my typewriting skills. Now that I am 68 years-old, I probably would have been "too young" to work on those office automation machines. Smile!
4:30 - I had two of these when I was in high school (1972 - 1976). The Soundscriber worked great! I had hundreds of disks of church sermons that were recorded on one side. So, I flipped them over and recorded on the blank sides. I also had a Soundscriber wire recorder at that time. Yes, it is and was all obsolete. Even back then. But, the experience of using them was invaluable in my long career in electronics. You young whipper snappers with you iphones and wireless earbuds have no idea of how much fun we had with our wood and stone tools. Smile.
Hi Videolabguy, wow! a "Soundscriber." that's really a vintage tech item! I bet that was fun to use and display. Have just seen a few "wire recorders" in old WWII movies lately. Most people have probably never heard of them. You were lucky to have several of these! ~ thanks for sharing - Victor
Damn, that lady at the end was FLEXIN'! An amazing show of skill!
Imagine the engineering it took to build those machines.
Only an internationally known business machine company could develop such intricate tools.
I worked at a company in the mid 80s which was using the metal plate addressing system. People were still using adding machines from the 30s which had been passed down from employee to employee. The company which is sadly no longer in business was founded in 1905. They had correspondences framed on the walls letters to customers from 1915 it was like working in an old Timey office.
I was an operator of a Wang VS 65.
Hi Brent, sounds very cool! Love that old timey equipment! - The Rhode Island Computer Museum has a Wang VS 65. An interesting machine! www.ricomputermuseum.org/collections-gallery/equipment/wang-vs65
~ VK
I worked at my first (salaried) job in 1970 as a typist while I was a high school student. During that employment, I learned key punch. It did not compare to a skill that I needed which was word processing. I went to a technical school and learned word processing on the IBM Displaywriter and the Wang OIS. I needed to work in the same company you worked, because that workplace would complement my typewriting skill. I like to use both hands and nine fingers when I typewrite (nowadays, keyboarding).
Up until the year 2000, many Fortune 300 companies still have back office operations utilizing microfiche to support archiving and retrieval of voluminous reports.
Hi Don, good point. I think that is quite true. ~ Victor
My mom was in the WACS from 1957 to 1960. She worked in the base finance office and used an Addressograph machine as part of her job. I had never seen one in use before, very interesting.
Hi Joseph, thanks for your comment. The Addressograph was a very popular and long lasting machine! Some are still around today and working! ~ Charles H., CHAP
What would we do without these machines
That was so cool. I love old tech. :) Thank you.
Hi Franko, glad you liked it! Those who made this film back in 1947 were doing us a favor, 74 years later. Much of this info is hard to find in video format. This is a rare piece. ~
13:35 , Fast Company has an article about Lois Lew (featured in this video) titled: "Meet the mystery woman who mastered IBM’s 5,400-character Chinese typewriter", I would link, but I think links outside YT aren't allowed.
Thank you Tom! Maybe some of our viewers will follow up on reading more if her history! ~ Victor, at CHAP
Nice to witness the birth of junk mail 😂 The speed record typist would be perfect for sh*tposting on social media 👍
I'm not quite sure, why I liked this so much - but I did.
That first thing on the wall (what's it called? the audio isn't clear and the CC says prod wall wall charts) would be perfect to translate to a digital display with a touch screen. The pages on the side could be made to pop to the front when touched, to be read or information entered and edited. That section could scroll vertically to add as many pages as needed. The right section could be scrolled and zoomed. It would have all the at a glance information function of the original and much more. I'd put linkages between the horizontal markers and the tabbed notes on the left. Touch a marker and it highlights or brings forward the relevant notes. Bring a note forward and the markers on the right highlight. Those could also have flyout notes and menus.
Then there would be the added bonus of getting to answer "1947." to questions of when the system was invented. :)
I wonder if some of these office machines were manufactured in the United States. I am impressed to see the Varityper and the AutoTypist. They probably made way for the microcomputer and the computer printer. Also, I like the first IBM typewriter. It promoted accurate typewriting. I enjoyed this film for showing me all the machines I have never got to see. I like any machine that has a typewriter-like keyboard. I learned typewriting when I was 12 years-old. That is why I keyboard on a Dell computer and print on a Canon color laser printer and a Brother label printer. Things are easier done than said.
Hi Captain Keyboard, its a good question. The Varityper, AutoTypist and IBM machines were all made in the U.S. Often, there were foreign versions made overseas as well. Probably a majority of the machines shown in the film were U.S. originated, but it would be a good project to research that question specifically, and trace this history. Thanks for the feedback! ~ Victor, CHAP
@@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject You are welcome. I am Captain Keyboard, because I became a hit typist who has worked in several business offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn, since I was a high school student. I learned typewriting when I was 12 years-old. At my first job, I worked as a typist for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in Manhattan, New York, through the Co-Operative Educational program in high school during my junior year. Years later, I was promoted to work in another office section. I worked on a Honeywell Console, which printed data on continuous paper and paper tape. I learned key punch and worked on the IBM 026 and 024 machines. Then, I worked on another job, using the IBM 029 and 059, and the Entrex Data Scope terminal. Years later, I worked on the IBM 3742 and the 3741 diskette recorders. Also, I worked on the IBM 129 Card Data Recorder in another job years afterward. At one job, I worked on the IBM System 36 terminal. That made me become a Keyboard Specialist. Finally, in 2002, I bought my first microcomputer, which was a Cybernet, a Windows type of computer, made in California. I quickly became acquainted with Microsoft Windows XP Professional and Microsoft Office XP Professional. I discovered more techniques in using Office XP as though I taught myself how to use the individual applications in that office suite of programs. Also, I had my first [Canon] color laser printer and scanner. Then I added a Brother P-Touch label printer to print professional (laminated) label tapes for various purposes. Today, I am using a Dell Inspiron microcomputer that I am keyboarding my comment to you. Like the Cybernet computer, the Dell is an all-in-one personal computer. The Cybernet had the computer in the keyboard like a console, except the monitor. The Dell computer, which I call my keyboard since it is my powerful typewriter, contains the computer inside the monitor. I bought it in 2017, and I had no problems with the hardware. However, I do have a Canon color laser printer which is an all-in-one printer that includes the copier and scanner parts. In my keyboard, I used Microsoft Windows 10 Home Edition and Microsoft Office 2016. I upgraded to Microsoft Windows 10 Pro that seems too advanced for a standalone computer, and was automatically upgraded to Microsoft Office 365, then subsequently to Microsoft 365. Finally, I upgraded Microsoft 365 with Microsoft Office 2019 Professional. I am doing more work, even better than when I used Microsoft Office XP. On UA-cam, I have entertained myself by viewing Kirt Kershaw on various shows; like Microsoft Access 2016 for Beginners-How to Use Microsoft Access, even though I am not a beginner to using Access; Microsoft Word 2019 for Beginners-How to Use Microsoft Word, but I am not a beginner using Microsoft Word; and the other applications, except Microsoft Publisher. There is currently no tutorial for Microsoft Publisher, nor Microsoft OneNote. You would think that I have plenty of programs in which to put my keyboarding skills. When I bought my first keyboard, I sacrificed my keyboarding speed so that I can strive to be a perfect typist. The reason is that the keyboarding speed did not help me gain successful employment in the 1990s decade. I would pass typing tests, but was not offered a job. Now, I am blessed that I can work for myself, right in the privacy of my home, using my keyboard and my printers as writers. In fact, I have learned more here on my own that I could not possibly learn in a job. Thank you for being very thoughtful for rendering your invaluable time to write to me, Victory Victor. Happy Keyboarding!
Hi Captain Keyboard, you have a fascinating and varied background! Thanks again for sharing your experiences. You have been really "hands-on" with many different tools, successfully! ~ Victor
@@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject Hello, Victory Victor! I thank you for your thoughtful reply to me. You are welcomed for reading about my employment experiences. It seemed as though the office employers' values of their employees having excellent keyboarding skills have gone in the way of chivalry; dead into the past. Now I am free from being on the job routinely as before. Perhaps the rejections of employment opportunities in the past led me to go away from the old computer software past Microsoft DOS, Microsoft Windows 3.1-2002, and earlier editions older than Microsoft Office 2002, so that I would not have paid for constant upgrades of computer hardware, year after year. If I am not very satisfied, I am settled down on having the hardware and the later programs editions, just to keep me chugging along. Now, I hope to resume my typewriting business, so that I can continue to print on (laser) paper and laminated label tapes. Again, Happy Keyboarding!
Thank you for sharing
You bet! This was too good to let it stay "sleeping" in the archives. Thanks for your feedback! ~ Victor
Cool!
Excellent. Thank you.
Hi Richard K, very glad you enjoyed it! (I recognize your moniker. Great series.) ~ Victor, CHAP
Is the Graphotype the machine they used to make dogtags for the armed services folks in WWII?
Hi Cleveland, yes, I think you are correct. The United States Military used the Addressograph Graphotype Class 350 machine for making dog tags, identification tags, medical plates and data plates. (there is even one on eBay for sale today). Thanks for the question! ~ Victor, CHAP
Funny some of these were still in use until the late 1970s. The machine used by the court reporter has changed little. Most court reporters today used "multitrack" recording. But some still use a version of the unit shown here.
Great observation! Thanks very much. ~ CHAP
2:49 ". . . without being in the way of doctors or nurses" 😂 Wax cylinders still in use until the 1940's? Wow I didn't know they were a thing so late in time. And at 14:30 That's the real Chicago typewriter. Stella Pajunas really was from Chicago.
The machine doesn’t make a mistake but what about the person making the stencil?
The graph-o-type machine was repurposed by the military to create dog tags for soldiers.
Machines used to be impressive.
13:20 this is incredibly ignorant, albeit typical for the time. Chinese does not contain a single letter - only latin-based languages do - but it does have thousands of symbols. They also have multiple "alphabets" (essentially dialects) depending on what the symbols are used for - and only one of those is usable for machine typing. Typing by remembering which number a word is, presumably in a dictionary, makes no sense and I'm certain they got it wrong when they made the English script. In China the phone book is sorted by how many lines are in the symbols in people's names and I assume they would've made the typewriter to follow a similar system, but truth is that until they got computers there was no simple way to machine type in their language. My sister-in-law is Chinese and in order for her to type on her phone or computer she has to either draw the symbols or write in Pinyin (english-fied Chinese), and even then she struggles to remember how the words are spelled in Pinyin because it requires remembering how the syllables are pronounced in English. Because of how complex their languages are, China and Japan had semi-functioning handwriting recognition long before the western world figured it out