The 50th Anniversary of the Legendary IBM 1401

Please join us for a special celebration of the 50th anniversary of the announcement of the IBM 1401 Data Processing System, the world's most popular computer during most of the 1960s. Activities will include presentations by the original 1401 chief architect, program manager and marketing lead, followed by a Q&A panel session.

We'll also acknowledge the successful restoration of two 48-year-old IBM 1401 magnetic-tape systems by a team of volunteers. The event at the Museum is being hosted by Jon Iwata, IBM's SVP of Marketing and Communications.

Announced in 1959, the IBM 1401 was widely adopted by business and institutions around the world. By the mid 1960s, half of all computers were 1401s or members of its family. The 1401 was one of IBM’s earliest transistorized computers and introduced thousands of businesses to stored-program computing while its tape and disk systems freed them from the decades-long practice of storing data on punched cards.

Known as a “small-scale computer, a 1401 system weighted 2-to-4 tons, dissipated 12,000 watts, and was built out of over half a million parts. In today's dollars, a typical system rented for $ 45,000 a month or was purchasable for $ 3.4 million. The 1401's popularity was due in part to its legendary peripherals, including its chain-based 1403 printer whose fast speed and outstanding print quality made it into an industry workhorse.

Speakers and Panelists:
- Jon Iwata, IBM Senior VP, Marketing & Communications
- Francis Underwood, IBM 1401 Chief Architect, 1957 - 1960
- Charles Branscomb, IBM 1401 Program Manager, 1957 - 1960
- Sheldon Jacobs, IBM 1401 Marketing Lead, 1958 - 1960
- Robert Garner, IBM 1401 Restoration Project Lead, Computer History Museum, 2004 - 2010