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The Story Of The Curta Calculator Is One Of Mechanical Genius And Triumph During The Darkest Days In Human History


The Story Of The Curta Calculator Is One Of Mechanical Genius And Triumph During The Darkest Days In Human History

(Photo credit: Andrew Kenworthy) – Thanks to BangShifter Andrew Kenworthy I learned about something pretty incredible last week and it was so good I thought it was very much worth passing it on to you. This is the story of the Curta mechanical calculator, a pocket sized calculator that was 100% mechanical and designed by a man trying to survive in the depths of human trauma as a Nazi concentration camp prisoner. Curt Herzstark was that concentration camp prisoner and his invention was so good, so revolutionary, and so efficient it was THE default pocket calculator for nearly 30 years before electronic number crunchers started to dominate the market. While the device is brilliant, the story of its creation is emotionally moving in a very sincere way. This whole thing is made even better in the video below with Cliff Stoll telling the story.

Stoll is an interesting guy and a genius in his own right. It was he who discovered and set the trap for what would basically be the first international computer hacking scandal back in 1986! He has written books on different topics and is an expert of the highest order on the Curta and its creation.

Now it is time to double back to Andrew Kenworthy and how this whole thing got started. I can’t pretend that I knew what a Curta mechanical calculator was until I saw the one he recently acquired on his Facebook page. He gave a great explanation of what the device was and that it would make for a cool story. He was very, very right and the fact that he was able to hunt one down is even neater.

By nature, gearheads are “stuff” people. Whether it is cars, parts, historical artifacts, or other things, we enjoy having interesting bits around us. For some of us it is a connection to a past that we weren’t a part of but enjoy thinking about and for others it is a way to remember people that served as examples of how we’re trying to make our way in the world.

From the close of WWII and into the 1970s, the Curta mechanical calculator was used for important math calculations all over the world. It helped put men in space, it helped with the design and construction of marvels we still rave about today, and undoubtedly it was used in the creation of sports and race cars of all shapes and sizes. It was one of the few things someone has created that was both omnipresent and GOOD. Those two things are rarely involved in the same sentence.

As I mentioned above, Curt Herzstark created this marvel while physically wasting away as a prisoner in a terrible Nazi concentration camp during WWII. He did it at the urging of the Nazis and for the good of mankind their horrid plans collapsed and allowed Herzstark to take his design out the gate with him and into the world shortly thereafter.

This is one of the great stories of the 20th century and before last week, I had no idea that it ever happened. If you know it, great. If not be prepared to have your jaw hit the table when Cliff Stoll tells (in his own awesome way) the story of Curt Herzstark and the the Curta mechanical calculator.

Press play below to see the entertaining Cliff Stoll tell the story of the Curta Mechanical Calculator –


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