What Happened Today, July 2nd

IBM announced its 650 series of computers, which were used during the remainder of the decade. The IBM 650 stored information on a rotating magnetic drum and received it on programmed punch cards. Its memory stored numbers with up to 10 decimal digits.

"First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC," is published. Brian Randell notes, "It is generally accepted that the first documented discussion ... of the advantages of using just one large internal memory, in which instructions as well as data could be held, was the draft report on EDVAC written by Von Neumann." In 1944, he was appointed a consultant to the EDVAC project. The draft report contains a description of the planned machine and the reasoning behind the various design decisions.

Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz is born in Leipzig. During his 70-year life, Leibniz would make significant contributions to the field of mathematics as well as completing some early computer work in the form of a calculator. Leibniz developed the modern forms of differential and integral calculus.

Leibniz died on November 14, 1716.

IBM announced its 650 series of computers, which were used during the remainder of the decade. The IBM 650 stored information on a rotating magnetic drum and received it on programmed punch cards. Its memory stored numbers with up to 10 decimal digits.

California's ergonomic standard took effect, dictating what employers must do to ensure that their workplaces prevent repetitive motion injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. The new law, seen as a possible measure of similar standards elsewhere in the nation, reflected increasing instances of such injuries, largely due to increased computer use.

Direct keyboard input on computers debuted on MIT's Whirlwind, which had been completed five years earlier. The now-common method of input was revolutionary at a time when programmers offered instructions to machines by inserting punched cards and changing dials and switches.

The Whirlwind also helped bring in a new form of memory for computers: core memory, which was installed in 1953.

Intel Corp. announced the first of two price cuts on its microprocessors in a move designed to keep rival companies from taking a larger share of its market. Long dominant in the microprocessor industry, Intel tried a number of tactics to make its Pentium chips standard for IBM-compatible personal computers.

Internet service provider America Online Inc. settles lawsuits filed in California that had accused the company of misleading subscribers about how it computes monthly service charges. As part of the settlement, customers received $22 million in free online time and cash rebates.