Calculators Manual

In 1642, Blaise Pascal is credited with designing one of the earliest forms of a calculating machine which could perform addition and subtraction. Its operation is somewhat similar to the Lightning Mechanical Calculator illustrated later in this article.

An early hand-cranked mechanical calculator was the Odhner. The history of Odhner calculators goes as far back as 1875 when Willgodt Odhner started producing calculators in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Curta was a major breakthrough for the field surveyor. It was invented by Curt Herzstark, an Austrian engineer.

The Society has a number of manual calculators in its collection.