January 31, 1944
The ASCC is shipped to Harvard and arrives the next day.
February 1944
Durfee and D.R. Piatt supervise the assembly, test and adoption of improvements of the machine at Harvard.
March 15, 1944
The ASCC is completely installed and in operating condition, using the same tapes as employed at Endicott for testing purposes.
May 1944
The ASCC begins computations for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships. During the war, the machine is used exclusively by the Navy and is supported by a technical staff that includes former IBMers then serving in the Navy.
August 7, 1944
The machine is officially presented to, and dedicated
at, Harvard University.
During the ceremony, Watson says, in part: "Dr.
[James B.] Conant [Harvard's President], I ask you to
accept this IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator
for Harvard University in the name of the International
Business Machine Corporation. It is my earnest hope
that the results accomplished by this machine and the
future cooperation of our two institutions will contribute
to further scientific development and will prove mutually
satisfactory."
Conant, in accepting the ASCC, expresses the hope
that its usefulness will be extended to those engaged
in scientific and technical work outside as well as
within Harvard. He also says: "Mr. Watson and the
International Business Machines Corporation, by employing
their inventions of the past many years in the development
and construction of this new, powerful instrument for
mathematical work, have given Harvard not only a splendid
gift but have presented the University with an opportunity
so great as to constitute a challenge." |
