Late-1950
- Initial market assessment visits to industrial customers
December 1950
- IBM President Thomas J. Watson, Jr., establishes executive committee to define Defense Calculator specifications
January 1, 1951
- Defense Calculator planning begins; 10 IBM Engineering Department people are assigned
February 1, 1951
- Actual design begins
February 1951
- Decision is made to approach potential Defense Calculator customers
- Parts procurement begins
March 1951
- Mathematical committee for Defense Calculator organized in Applied Science Department
- Assembly operations begin
September 1951
- Project engineering staff peaks at 155 people
January 1952
- General manufacturing plans and schedules are prepared
February 1952
- Design is completed; production program is approved
March 1952
- Parts procurement is completed
April 1952
- Laboratory model, 701 Development machine, is fully assembled
April 23, 1952
- Customer briefing calls begin
April 29, 1952
- 701 Announced: Watson discloses to stockholders a project to develop Defense Calculator
Spring 1952
- Engineering design is completed
May 1952
- 10 confirmed orders are in hand
May 21, 1952
Branch managers are informed of "new Calculator, tentatively referred to as the IBM Electronic Data Processing Machine"
- Official announcement of IBM 701 Electronic Analytical Control Unit
- Official announcement of IBM 711 Punched Card Reader
- Official announcement of IBM 716 Alphabetical Printer
- Official announcement of IBM 721 Card Punch Recorder
- Official announcement of IBM 726 Magnetic Tape Reader/Recorder
- Official announcement of IBM 731 Magnetic Drum Reader/Recorder
- Official announcement of IBM 741 Power Frame #2 (operator's panel)
- Official announcement of IBM 746 Power Distribution Unit
June 1952
- Laboratory model performs computations to exercise all system units
June 1, 1952
- Assembly of first production machine begins
July 1952
- Engineering Department releases machine for manufacture
August 1952
- 13 orders are in hand
August 18, 1952
- Decision is made to produce 18 machines
October 1952
- First 701 customer engineering class held in Poughkeepsie
November 1952
- First customer administrative (programming) class held in N.Y. City
December 31, 1952
- 701 Installation: first production machine shipped from Poughkeepsie to IBM Technical Computing Bureau at World Headquarters in N.Y. City
Early 1953
- Intensive cathode ray tube testing begins on the 2nd IBM 706 production unit
Early 1953
- Intensive cathode ray tube testing begins on the 2nd IBM 706 production unit
March 27, 1953
- IBM announces the installation of the first 701 at its World Headquarters
March 31, 1953
- First production machine for customer -- machine #2 -- arrives at Los Alamos Scientific Lab; it is installed and operational three days later
April 7, 1953
- First 701 public showing at IBM World Headquarters in N.Y. City
September 25, 1953
- Official announcement of IBM 727 Magnetic Tape Unit
January 8, 1954
- IBM 701 performs first computer Russian/English translation with the 701 Translator
May 7, 1954
- Official announcement of IBM 736 Power Frame #1 (power supply)
May 21, 1954
- Official announcement of IBM 706 Electrostatic Storage Unit
June 1954
- Machine #18 is shipped to Lockheed Aircraft
October 1, 1954
- Official announcement of IBM 737 Magnetic Core Storage Unit
- Official announcement of IBM 753 Magnetic Tape Control Unit
- IBM 701 is withdrawn from marketing
October 12, 1954
- Official announcement of IBM 740 CRT Output Recorder
March 1955
- IBM 701 at IBM World headquarters is featured on NBC-TV's "Today" show with Dave Garroway
April 1955
- Machine #19 begins daily weather forecasts for Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit at Suitland, Md.
June 6, 1956
- IBM 706 is withdrawn from marketing
November 23, 1956
- IBM 711 is withdrawn from marketing