Computing · 1851
Arithmometer
The first mechanical calculator sold in volume to offices.
Thomas de Colmar patented the arithmometer in 1820 and began serious commercial production around 1851. About 5,000 were built by 1915, bringing machine arithmetic to insurers, banks and government offices.
What it built on 1
Related measurements
The dashed line marks when it first worked.
Computation per constant dollar, 1850-2006 Latest: 7.3B million units of computer power per 2006 $ (2003) Source: Nordhaus 2007, Two Centuries of Productivity Growth in Computing, J. Econ. Hist. 67(1), Table 6