IBM 603 Electronic Multiplier

Announced on September 27, 1946, the IBM 603 Electronic Multiplier was the first electronic calculator ever placed into production. It consisted of two boxes: the Type 603 calculating unit and Type 520 punch-read unit. This machine provided multiplication speeds several magnitudes higher than earlier electromechanical devices. In fact, computing speeds were so much faster that multiplication could be performed without the necessity of interrupting card feeding.