

The Atanasoff Berry Computer - reteltech
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atanasoff%E2%80%93Berry_Computer

======
csixty4
The strangest part of the ABC's story is _why_ the original was dismantled.
From John Gustafson's paper on the reconstruction:

> It was constructed in the basement of the physics building at ISU, which at
> the time was an open area interrupted only by support pillars. The basement
> was later finished with poured concrete walls and standard doors; the
> standard door width is 0.84 m. Hence, the computer was boxed in. After
> Atanasoff left ISU for Maryland, the ABC was seen only as an orphaned device
> taking up otherwise useful space. Since its frame was welded angle iron, the
> only way to remove it from the room was to cut it apart with a hacksaw. I
> feel we have most of the answer to the question: Why was the ABC destroyed?
> The answer is that it was 0.07 m too wide to go through the door. In
> reconstructing the ABC, we made one practical modification: we narrowed the
> frame enough so we would be able to go through a standard door.

