Milestone-Proposal:Special Citation Computer History Museum
Docket #:2014-05
This proposal has been submitted for review.
Is the achievement you are proposing more than 25 years old? Yes
Is the achievement you are proposing within IEEE’s fields of interest? (e.g. “the theory and practice of electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering, as well as computer science, the allied branches of engineering and the related arts and sciences” – from the IEEE Constitution) Yes
Did the achievement provide a meaningful benefit for humanity? Yes
Was it of at least regional importance? Yes
Has an IEEE Organizational Unit agreed to pay for the milestone plaque(s)? Yes
Has an IEEE Organizational Unit agreed to arrange the dedication ceremony? Yes
Has the IEEE Section in which the milestone is located agreed to take responsibility for the plaque after it is dedicated? Yes
Has the owner of the site agreed to have it designated as an Electrical Engineering Milestone? Yes
Year or range of years in which the achievement occurred:
1979 to present
Title of the proposed milestone:
IEEE Special Citation Computer History Museum
Plaque citation summarizing the achievement and its significance:
The Computer History Museum's mission is to preserve and present for posterity the artifacts and stories of the Information Age. Founded in 1979 in Massachusetts, it completed a move to Silicon Valley in 1999. The museum houses the world's largest collection of computers and related software, documents, and visual media. Public exhibits celebrate the rich history of computing, aided by a speaker series, education activities, historical restorations, and research programs.
In what IEEE section(s) does it reside?
Santa Clara Valley Section
IEEE Organizational Unit(s) which have agreed to sponsor the Milestone:
IEEE Organizational Unit(s) paying for milestone plaque(s):
Unit: Santa Clara Valley Section
Senior Officer Name: Senior officer name masked to public
IEEE Organizational Unit(s) arranging the dedication ceremony:
Unit: Santa Clara Valley Section
Senior Officer Name: Senior officer name masked to public
IEEE section(s) monitoring the plaque(s):
IEEE Section: Santa Clara Valley Section
IEEE Section Chair name: Section chair name masked to public
Milestone proposer(s):
Proposer name: Proposer's name masked to public
Proposer email: Proposer's email masked to public
Please note: your email address and contact information will be masked on the website for privacy reasons. Only IEEE History Center Staff will be able to view the email address.
Street address(es) and GPS coordinates of the intended milestone plaque site(s):
Computer History Museum 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043
Describe briefly the intended site(s) of the milestone plaque(s). The intended site(s) must have a direct connection with the achievement (e.g. where developed, invented, tested, demonstrated, installed, or operated, etc.). A museum where a device or example of the technology is displayed, or the university where the inventor studied, are not, in themselves, sufficient connection for a milestone plaque.
Please give the address(es) of the plaque site(s) (GPS coordinates if you have them). Also please give the details of the mounting, i.e. on the outside of the building, in the ground floor entrance hall, on a plinth on the grounds, etc. If visitors to the plaque site will need to go through security, or make an appointment, please give the contact information visitors will need.
Computer History Museum, which is the Museum's corporate building
Are the original buildings extant?
not applicable
Details of the plaque mounting:
On the wall in the public lobby
How is the site protected/secured, and in what ways is it accessible to the public?
The plaque is secured by wall mount.
The lobby is a public area which can be entered free of charge.
The building is secure.
Who is the present owner of the site(s)?
Computer History Museum, a non-profit corporation
A letter in English, or with English translation, from the site owner(s) giving permission to place IEEE milestone plaque on the property:
A letter or email from the appropriate Section Chair supporting the Milestone application:
File:Minutes-SCVSection-2014-04-02-R1.pdf
What is the historical significance of the work (its technological, scientific, or social importance)?
The Computer History Museum captures the history of computers and computing. Attending the museum is a learning experience for all age groups. For the younger generation, Its exhibits and interactive programs encourage the younger generation to become computer professionals.
The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, is a nonprofit organization with a four-decade history as the world’s leading institution exploring the history of computing and its ongoing impact on society. The Museum is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of computer history and is home to the largest international collection of computing artifacts in the world, encompassing computer hardware, software, documentation, ephemera, photographs and moving images.
The Museum brings computer history to life through large-scale exhibits, an acclaimed speaker series, a dynamic website, docent-led tours and an award-winning education program. The Museum’s signature exhibition is “Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing,” described by "USA Today" as “the Valley’s answer to the Smithsonian.” Other current exhibits include “Charles Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2,” “Going Places: The History of Google Maps with Street View,” “IBM 1401 Demo Lab,” and “DEC PDP-1.”
What obstacles (technical, political, geographic) needed to be overcome?
The major obstacles that the Museum overcame were setting up a viable corporation, securing funding, developing the extensive facility and recruiting a professional staff. Videos of it's ongoing "Revolutionaries" events are aired over PBS. Revolutionaries have aired interviews with our most notable current and past computers technologists.
What features set this work apart from similar achievements?
It is the largest computer history museum in the world. Also it is an extremely well used research facility for historians. See references below. Furthermore, the Museum provides education to the community through its extensive events. Videos of its ongoing "Revolutionaries" events are aired over PBS. The series has aired interviews with our most notable current and past computer technologists.
References to establish the dates, location, and importance of the achievement: Minimum of five (5), but as many as needed to support the milestone, such as patents, contemporary newspaper articles, journal articles, or citations to pages in scholarly books. At least one of the references must be from a scholarly book or journal article.
web url, Mission http://www.computerhistory.org/about/ web url, History (dates) http://www.computerhistory.org/chmhistory/ web url, over 50 Press Releases http://www.computerhistory.org/press/
url The New York Times Review by Edward Rothstein Published: September 28, 2012 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/arts/design/computer-history-museum-in-mountain-view-calif.html
url Lauch of Revolution Exibit: “Version 2.0 of the 8-year-old Computer History Museum, scheduled to reopen to the public on Jan. 13, is the valley's answer to the Smithsonian.”, Jon Swartz, USA TODAY, December 8, 2010 http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2010-12-08-wozniak08_ST_N.htm
url Core Magazine – a publication of the Computer History Museum http://www.computerhistory.org/core/backissues/ http://www.computerhistory.org/core/
url Revolutionaries Series – CHM’s accaimed speaker series http://www.computerhistory.org/events/series/revolutionaries/ Season 1&2 http://www.computerhistory.org/press/revseason-2.html Season 3: http://www.computerhistory.org/press/revolutionaires-season-three.html
url Babbage Engine Online Exhibit: http://www.computerhistory.org/babbage/overview/
url IBM 1401 Demo Lab: http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/restoring-the-ibm-1401/
url Oral History Collection – over 600 generated by CHM staff http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/oralhistories/
url CHM elected Fellows http://www.computerhistory.org/fellowawards/hall/
The Behind the Scenes History of the Computer History Museum – Complete Playlist http://www.viodi.tv/2014/10/16/the-behind-the-scenes-history-of-the-computer-history-museum/
Computer History Museum Celebrates 35 Years https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqT4BpalEII&feature=youtu.be
Supporting materials (supported formats: GIF, JPEG, PNG, PDF, DOC): All supporting materials must be in English, or if not in English, accompanied by an English translation. You must supply the texts or excerpts themselves, not just the references. For documents that are copyright-encumbered, or which you do not have rights to post, email the documents themselves to ieee-history@ieee.org. Please see the Milestone Program Guidelines for more information.
Photos uploaded. see upload file.
