Artifact Details

Title

APT II Commemorative Ashtray

Catalog Number

102627176

Type

Still image

Description

Black and white image of an ashtray created by a numerically contolled milling machine. On the ashtray is "APT II AIA MIT AMC FWB." On verso is paper sticker reading, "This CAD/CAM ashtray was the first object to be designed and manufactured by a computer". (66) Return to the Computer Museum, 300 Congress Street, Boston 022210, Attn: Archives"

Also on verso "Ashtray, fall 1984, #10" in blue ink. "1959" Also "Ashtray. This aluminum ashtray donated by Doug Ross was made in February 1959 at MIT and is the first object produced using computer-aided design. Upon its announcement, the New Yorker ran this quote from the San Francisco Chronicle,"The Air Force announced today that it has a machine that can receive instructions in English, figure out how to make whatever is wanted, and teach other machines how to make it. An Air Force general said it will enable the United States to 'build a war machine that nobody would want to tackle.' Today it made an ashtray."

Feb, 1959 Press Conference, "Souvenir Aluminum ash tray milled in three dimensions by the first APT system." The press conference formally marked the completion of the opening phase of APT system development.

For more information, see: Ross, Doug, "Origins of the APT Language for Automatically Programmed Tools" ACM SIGPLAN Notices, Aug. 1978. DOI: 10.1145/960118.808374

Date

1959

Publisher

MIT

Identifying Numbers

Other number #520

Dimensions

overall: 8 in x 10 in

Category

Photograph

Credit

Courtesy of Gwen Bell

Lot Number

X7413.2015