CHM Revolution

Date

1673ca.

Credit Line

Courtesy of the Deutsches Museum, München

Keywords

1673; Stepped drum; Mechanical calculation

Object ID

102630768

In 1673, Leibniz built the first true four-function calculator. His unique, drum-shaped gears formed the basis of many successful calculator designs for the next 275 years, an unbroken record for a single underlying calculator mechanism. Leibniz built several versions of the Stepped Reckoner over about 45 years. Only one survives today.