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The Computer History Museum
Background
The Computer History Museum was formally established as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in 1999. The Museum is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of computing history. We are home to one of the largest international collections of computing artifacts in the world, encompassing physical objects, ephemera, photographs, moving images, documents and software.
In 1979, the Museum's founders Gordon and Gwen Bell opened an exhibit of many computing devices from their personal collection in the lobby of Digital Equipment Corporation. It wasn't long afterward that the Museum's name became The Digital Computer Museum and subsequently The Computer Museum.
In the fall of 1984, The Computer Museum opened to the public at Museum Wharf in Boston, sharing space with the Children's Museum. The Museum focused on computing history lectures, exhibiting highlights of the collection, and many children's educational activities including a two-story walk through computer, a virtual fish tank and a robot theatre.
In 1996, a significant portion of the Museum's collection moved to Mountain View, California. California was seen as an ideal place for an emphasis on collecting and the preservation of the Museum's growing collection. In Boston, the focus continued on exhibits. By 2000 the remaining collection from Boston arrived in Silicon Valley.
In 2001, the Museum shortened its name from The Computer Museum History Center to our current name. The next year, we moved into our permanent home with the purchase of a landmark building on Shoreline Boulevard in Mountain View. We currently have on-site three exhibits Visible Storage: Samples from the Collection, Mastering the Game: A History of Computer Chess and Innovation 101.
Under construction is the Museum's signature exhibit entitled "Computer History: the First 2000 years" due to open in late 2010.
Tours and Hours of Operation
The Museum's "Visible Storage" exhibit area is open for docent-led tours every week. Self-guided tours are also available in "Visible Storage" and the Museum's other two exhibits, "Innovation in the Valley" and "Mastering the Game: A History of Computer Chess." Tours are free and hours of operation are located on the Museum's website. Groups of 10 or more should call in advance to 650-810-1038 or e-mail tours@computerhistory.org.
Education
The Computer History Museum offers lectures, seminars and workshops with scholarly historical perspectives about and by the pioneers of the computing industry. The Museum's emphasis on preservation and education make it a unique resource for media researchers, historians, scientists, industry professionals and students of all ages. Research services are available to scholars by staff researchers as well as through the Museum's comprehensive website.
Lectures and Events
The Museum is proud to host monthly lectures with leading innovators; industry giants and opinion leaders; experts; engineers and scientists who share their personal stories and insights about developments, events and discoveries that have shaped our world. The Museum also frequently hosts other significant events that highlight and honor the history of computing and celebrate major industry milestones as they occur.
Fellow Awards
Each year over the past twenty years, the Museum has honored computing pioneers at an annual Fellow Awards Celebration. Museum Fellows are individuals who have made revolutionary and lasting contributions to the development of computing and often present a lecture or conduct a workshop and oral histories in connection with the awards program.
Publications
Articles about industry leaders and computing breakthroughs appear in the Museum's annual spring publication, Core, and the Museum's staff also publishes articles with both technical and historical content in complementary journals and magazines.
Future Plans
The Computer History Museum's efforts are underway to further expand its home in Silicon Valley. Future plans include additional and changing exhibits as well as theme rooms. Next up for spring 2008 is the debut of the Babbage Difference Engine #2, an extraordinary Victorian era computing device that no Victorian ever saw! It was finally built 153 years after Charles Babbage's (1791-1871) original design, and is rich in history. And then there is the Museum's 14,000 square-foot major and signature exhibit, the "Timeline of Computing History" due to open in the fall of 2009.
Background
The Computer History Museum was formally established as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in 1999. The Museum is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of computing history. We are home to one of the largest international collections of computing artifacts in the world, encompassing physical objects, ephemera, photographs, moving images, documents and software.
In 1979, the Museum's founders Gordon and Gwen Bell opened an exhibit of many computing devices from their personal collection in the lobby of Digital Equipment Corporation. It wasn't long afterward that the Museum's name became The Digital Computer Museum and subsequently The Computer Museum.
In the fall of 1984, The Computer Museum opened to the public at Museum Wharf in Boston, sharing space with the Children's Museum. The Museum focused on computing history lectures, exhibiting highlights of the collection, and many children's educational activities including a two-story walk through computer, a virtual fish tank and a robot theatre.
In 1996, a significant portion of the Museum's collection moved to Mountain View, California. California was seen as an ideal place for an emphasis on collecting and the preservation of the Museum's growing collection. In Boston, the focus continued on exhibits. By 2000 the remaining collection from Boston arrived in Silicon Valley.
In 2001, the Museum shortened its name from The Computer Museum History Center to our current name. The next year, we moved into our permanent home with the purchase of a landmark building on Shoreline Boulevard in Mountain View. We currently have on-site three exhibits Visible Storage: Samples from the Collection, Mastering the Game: A History of Computer Chess and Innovation 101.
Under construction is the Museum's signature exhibit entitled "Computer History: the First 2000 years" due to open in late 2010.
Tours and Hours of Operation
The Museum's "Visible Storage" exhibit area is open for docent-led tours every week. Self-guided tours are also available in "Visible Storage" and the Museum's other two exhibits, "Innovation in the Valley" and "Mastering the Game: A History of Computer Chess." Tours are free and hours of operation are located on the Museum's website. Groups of 10 or more should call in advance to 650-810-1038 or e-mail tours@computerhistory.org.
Education
The Computer History Museum offers lectures, seminars and workshops with scholarly historical perspectives about and by the pioneers of the computing industry. The Museum's emphasis on preservation and education make it a unique resource for media researchers, historians, scientists, industry professionals and students of all ages. Research services are available to scholars by staff researchers as well as through the Museum's comprehensive website.
Lectures and Events
The Museum is proud to host monthly lectures with leading innovators; industry giants and opinion leaders; experts; engineers and scientists who share their personal stories and insights about developments, events and discoveries that have shaped our world. The Museum also frequently hosts other significant events that highlight and honor the history of computing and celebrate major industry milestones as they occur.
Fellow Awards
Each year over the past twenty years, the Museum has honored computing pioneers at an annual Fellow Awards Celebration. Museum Fellows are individuals who have made revolutionary and lasting contributions to the development of computing and often present a lecture or conduct a workshop and oral histories in connection with the awards program.
Publications
Articles about industry leaders and computing breakthroughs appear in the Museum's annual spring publication, Core, and the Museum's staff also publishes articles with both technical and historical content in complementary journals and magazines.
Future Plans
The Computer History Museum's efforts are underway to further expand its home in Silicon Valley. Future plans include additional and changing exhibits as well as theme rooms. Next up for spring 2008 is the debut of the Babbage Difference Engine #2, an extraordinary Victorian era computing device that no Victorian ever saw! It was finally built 153 years after Charles Babbage's (1791-1871) original design, and is rich in history. And then there is the Museum's 14,000 square-foot major and signature exhibit, the "Timeline of Computing History" due to open in the fall of 2009.
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