The History of International Business Machines
Saturday June 7, 2008
IBM stands for International Business Machines, the largest computer company in the world today. The company incorporated in 1911, starting as a major producer of punch card tabulating machines. The year 1953 saw the development of IBM's 701 EDPM, which, according to IBM, was the first commercially successful general-purpose computer. Image: Mary Bellis
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Hi, IBM was started by an ex employee of National Cash Register Company of Dayton, Ohio.
I believe the man’s name may have been Watson. who had a disagreement with the management, and left to form IBM.
Later, National Cash Register Company adopted their intials as the compamy name and became NCR. Still later, about 1991, they merged with AT & T, which was the worst move they ever made - AT&T swallowed them, didn’t understand their business methods and generally wrecked the company.
NCR, besides cash registers, made computers and Point of Sale terminals hooked to their computers to delete items from stock as they were sold, giving accurate stock data for re=ordering.
NCR also developed Encapsulation, where minute cells of ink were contained inside paper, giving us the No Carbon Required (NCR) Paper.
They also, at the request of the US Air Force, developed automatic fast tinting lenses to give aircrew’s eyes anti-flash protection - these became the self-tinting sunglasses we have known for years!
One of NCR’s well known early employes was Boss Kettering, who developed a self-engaging mechanism for car starter motors!
IBM was created by Thomas Watson, a former NCR employee, through the restructuring of the next company where he went to work.
There is a very good biography of Thomas Watson, that gives the details of the creation of IBM.