First Commercial Computer with Magnetic Tape

The UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer I) was delivered to the U.S. Census Bureau, utilizing magnetic tape drives for data storage, a significant upgrade from punch cards.

Significance

Marked the beginning of widespread use of magnetic tape for computer data, dramatically increasing storage capacity and speed compared to previous methods.

Key facts

Date
1951-03-31
Type
release
Location
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA