Before we had computers to handle all our calculations instantly, businesses had to rely on human "computers" to crunch the numbers. This was a slow, error-prone process – until one inventor changed the game.
Meet George Fowler, who pioneered the first patented adding machine in 1863, kicking off a mechanical calculation revolution. His sliding ruler-like contraption was a huge leap forward for accounting and organizations that relied heavily on arithmetic work.
This guide will trace Fowler‘s journey creating this transformative technology. You‘ll discover his ingenious mechanical design and entrepreneurial drive to turn his ideas into a commercial success. While commonplace now, his adding machine was groundbreaking in his era – an early precursor to the first true computers still a century away.
From Eccentric Tinkerer to Celebrated Innovator
Long before devising the invention that made him famous, George B. Fowler was just an eccentric tinkerer engineering odd gadgets in his spare time. Born in 1834 in Long Island, New York, he received his first patent in 1859 for – of all things – an improved clothes hook!
This was the beginning of Fowler‘s prolific inventing career. Throughout the 1860s, he patented clever contraptions like a spring-loaded picnic egg beater, bowling game improvements, and even a clam roaster!
But all the while, he was honing creative engineering talents that would eventually change the world of calculation forever. Settling in the bustling commerce hub of Chicago in the early 1860s, he was immersed in a business environment reliant on tedious numerical work. And he knew there had to be a better way.
The Need for Speed: Streamlining Calculation for Business
In the 19th century, progress was accelerating quickly across American industries like manufacturing, banking, insurance, and more. Businesses depended heavily on mathematical work underpinning vital functions from payroll to accounting to shipping.
But here‘s the problem – it was all done by hand, one painstaking number at a time. Teams of human "computers" worked nonstop, yet still struggled with the growing loads. It was clear faster, more automated approaches would be needed to keep up.
This environment primed the landscape for Fowler‘s breakthrough. His early typing up sums on makeshift slides and levers convinced him the process could be mechanized. Soon that tinkering transformed into a sophisticated concept – the adding machine.
Sliding into Place: The Step-by-Step Functioning of Fowler‘s Adder
Fowler filed US Patent 39,222 in 1863 outlining his "new and useful Improvement in Adding-Machines" and it was swiftly approved. The ingenious device featured rows of sliding metal tabs representing columns of numbers controlled through precisely placed gear assemblies.
Setting up an addition problem involved inserting a pin in the needed holes then pushing slides left and right to position number columns properly. Lining everything up accurately caused an automatic cascade of movements under the hood. Interlocked gears would turn in sequence, presenting the sum through small windows on top.
Let‘s break down the functionality using our example addition problem:
137
+ 218First slide the hundreds column to 1, tens column to 3 and units column to 7. Next, set the second number by sliding hundreds to 2, tens to 1 and units to 8. The gears engage, rotate accordingly and display the solution of 355 in the windows.
It was addition automation unlike anything of the era! The very first specialized, mechanical calculating "computer".
Praise and Problems: Early Trials of the Fowler Adder
Despite limitations, Fowler‘s new adder delivered on speed and ease-of-use promises. Early proof of concepts secured widespread praise and even investments in Fowler‘s new Chicago-based startup manufacturing the devices in 1864.
Sure it only handled straightforward addition. And slides jamming or gears slipping sometimes derailed smooth operation. But it was still leaps beyond human capabilities, saving massive time for essential business functions.
Unfortunately, Fowler likely lacked the operational experience to capitalize on his early design wins. Few customer records remain and the fledgling company appears to have floundered in a few short years.
Refining the Vision: Fowler‘s Redesigned 1890 Adder Patent
Giving up was not in Fowler‘s DNA. And he knew the importance of his core idea, even if initial business attempts had failed. After relocating to Brooklyn, New York, Fowler filed an updated adding machine patent in 1890 – this time built entirely of reliable metal components.
The new version ran smoother and avoided limitations of the earlier model like slide jams. Improved, robust construction also enabled application to larger calculations with four or more columns.
This second incarnation succeeded where his first had not. Fowler manufactured and marketed the machines through the Universal Adding Machine Company, selling nationally into the 20th century. The adding machine revolution had sticking power after all!
Lasting Impact: How One Man Inspired Generations of Computing Innovation
While other inventors like Pascal and Leibniz conceptualized advanced mechanical calculation prior to Fowler, few working prototypes were built and no commercial adoption realized. Fowler made the critical leap by creating and marketing a reliable adding device that the business community embraced.
As modest as his wooden sliding box may seem compared to today‘s machines, we cannot understate the significance of Fowler‘s adding machine as a progenitor of computational thinking. He pioneered implementation of step-wise automated calculation. And proved a market hungry for technology eliminating error-prone human effort from key mathematical tasks.
Fowler only lived to see the earliest ripples of the tidal wave of advancement his adding machine set in motion. But he undoubtedly deserves credit as one of the founding fathers of computation.
So next time you praise the latest smartphone or supercomputer innovation, spare a thought for unsung heroes of mechanical engineering like George Fowler! The tinkerers and dreamers who laid the first bricks in the road leading to our digital age.
