Christie's auction and other computer history events

[blstuart at bellsouth.net]

In message <20050217223447.87231.qmail at web52806.mail.yahoo.com>, Computer Colle
ctor Newsletter writes:
>> > Watson himself was influenced by Babbage.
>> 
>> Can you cite a reference, or are you just assuming that?
>I didn't mean directly, I meant by lineage, via people like Herman Hollerith. 
>(There are also stories of Hollerith was influenced by the card punching of a
>train conductor.)
>
>Someone who was *directly* influence, according to 'The Cogwheel Brain' book,
>is Howard Aiken.  The book discusses this in detail.

An argument can be made that Aiken indirectly ifluenced Watson.
Watson had provided the money and much of the labor for building
Aiken's Mark I (the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator
IIRC).  The story goes that because Aiken didn't give IBM enough
credit in the unveiling and other public venues, Watson set out
to beat Aiken.  Watson Sr never really had a good feel for what
computers were all about (Watson Jr had a much better understanding)
but he sure new how to push his people to do a bigger and faster
machine.

Brian L. Stuart