An Early Computing Machine: The "Millionaire"

     Originally designed by Frenchman Leon Bollee, but later designed and sold by Otto Steiger from St. Gallen, Switzerland, the Millionaire was the first commercial machine to successfully multiply without repetitive addition. It could also divide, add and subtract although it was primarily used for multiplying. There were 4655 units produced and sold between 1893 and the mid 1930s. They were produced by Hans W. Egli and his company H. W. Egli, A.G. It was mostly used by big businesses and industries that used multiplication and other functions every day. Industries such as the insurance, the mining, and the railways industries used it the most at first. Later on, scientists found it useful and government agencies became the prime customers. There was no other machine like it and none were able to compete with it until fully-automatic rotary calculators became available in the 1930s.

The Millionaire machine of Steiger/Egli (Courtesy of Mr. John Wolf and of history-computer.com)

     The Millionaire was operated by the control panel, which was located on the top of the machine just inside the top opening. The control panel, divided into 4 unequal sized section, is about 25" x 11". The right of the upper section contains the control that specifies which calculation is to be done, Add, Multiply, Divide, or Subtract (AMDS), that is knows as the "Regulator". That section also includes the crank which was used to conduct the calculation. As said above, the crank is replaced later on in the 1930s with the automated rotary calculators. The crank is only required to do one full turn clockwise for each calculation. It will come to a stop at its fixed home position. The crank should not ever be turned backwards. To the left of the crank and Regulator is the section that contains eight sliders for the input. The input from these sliders is used as the first factor. Left of the eight input sliders is the "multiplier control lever." It sets the second factor.
     The final section, the bottom half of the control panel, basically displays the answer. It contains an opening for the 8-digit counter and the 16-digit accumulator register. The knobs to the right of each display can be pulled to the right to clear the display. During multiplication and division the carriage is moved automatically to the left, and is pushed back manually while pressing the button at the left side.
     The Millionaire calculates and displays the answer in two separate steps, first the tens place then the units. For example, if someone were to multiply 8 by 7, they would think of the answer as a single number 56. The Millionaire knows the answer first as 5 tens and then as 6 units. When the first factor is selected it engages the respective pinion. Then after the second factor is selected and the crank is turned the pinion will move the display to the correct tens and unit places. So, when the 8 slider is selected it will engage the pinion to rack 8. Then selecting the 7 multiplier it will move 5 places in the tens cycle and 6 places for the units. Then the machine will display the appropriate answer, in this case 56.

Pretty Much My Biography

     My name is Dominik Haeflinger. I was born on June 29 in Rochester, Minnesota in the Mayo Clinic Methodist Hospital. I was baptized into the Catholic Church shortly after being born. I lived with my mom, Kristi, who lived with her mom, Grandma Jo, and partner, Grandma Meg.  After my mom finished high school, we moved to Wichita, Kansas where she went to college for a few years. My mom met my step-dad, Tanner, while going to Wichita State.
     While living with my mom in Wichita, my dad, Kurt, and my step-mom, Gina, had my oldest sister, Alexx. I don't remember much about when she was first born because I was only about a year and a half old. Although, I do remember that she has always been there for me should I need anything, and hopefully, she knows I will always be there for her.
     Before Kindergarten, my dad and Gina got married. I don't really remember it but I know that I slept through the whole ceremony. Haha. I didn't get to ride in the limo so I rode with my Grandpa Rick and Grandma Jane (my dad's parents) to the reception. I don't remember any of it. Coincidence?
     For a reason that I'm not sure of, we (my mom, Tanner, and I) moved to Minneapolis, KS, where my mom worked across the street at the hospital. I went to Kindergarten there. While there my step-dad taught me how to ride a bike without training wheels. I remember riding out of the garage when my mom came home, to show her that I could do it. We had a room upstairs, it was almost like a tower, that someone mom knew and her daughter lived up there. While there we had 2 dogs and 2 cats. The dogs' names were Shadow and Dakota. The cats' names were Al and Tiggy.
     Up until this point, and for the rest of my life (well the life I've lived so far), I have gone to see my dad in Minnesota every few months. He lived in an apartment with Gina and Alexx and a Burmese Python that I loved to play with. Sadly, my dad had to get rid of it when it got bigger than him (6'2").
     After Kindergarten, we moved to Belgrade, Montana, where I went to first grade. I don't really remember much. I know that my Uncle Ben lived with us for a while. I thought that was the coolest thing. We had a backyard and we lived mostly underground. It was a lower apartment. We had a cat named Jake instead of Al.
     The summer before I attended 2nd grade my dad and Gina had my second sister, Kaytlynn. After that they moved down to Spring Valley, Minnesota where they still live today.
     We moved to Bozeman, Montana so that my mom and Tanner could attend Montana State University. We lived in the family apartments first in one set then in 3rd grade we moved to a different set of family apartments because my mom was pregnant with my third sister, Kaya Jo. She was born the summer after my 3rd grade year. Starting in 2nd grade I walked to and from school. Once my mom and Tanner both got their degrees we had to move. I was just finishing up 4th grade when we moved.
     We then moved to Three Forks, Montana. I finished up 4th grade in Bozeman then attended 5th grade in Three Forks. That spring my brother, Keegan, was born.
     After that, during the summer, we moved to Hiawatha, Kansas where I attended 6th grade and a month of 7th grade. We decided we needed to move to Topeka, where my mom works for KDOT, because she was never home. While in between the house in Hiawatha and the house in Topeka, we lived in a hotel. We lived there for about a month. While there I began attending Northern Hills Junior High and then we bought a house on Hiawatha Pl (wouldn't you know it). That's where they live still.
     After going through 7th and 8th grade with less than acceptable grades I was part of the first class to go through the Freshman Center at Seaman High. I didn't apply myself as well as I could and my grades reflected that. I started taking German that year and continued to take German all 4 years. Starting Sophomore year my grades were better. Also, I took Visual Basic, C++ and Web Design. I learned VisualBasic.net, some C++, HTML, and CSS. Then, Junior year, I only took Video Game Design 1. I took Honors Algebra II. Finally, Senior year I took Honors Physics, AP Gov, and I took Independent Study. In Independent Study I taught myself almost all of C++ that we didn't get to during the class.
    Junior year was when I figured out that I wanted to be a computer scientist. Kansas State helped me in doing that. While on a Junior Day here at K-State, I went to the Nichols hall to see if I could talk to a Computer Science professor. While there I met Mitchel Neilsen. He gave me a tour of the building and talked to me about the various aspects of the building and of Computer Science field. I was so thoroughly interested that I decided I was going to major in it.
    Afterthought: I have been on lots of trips. I've been to Alberta, Canada, New York City twice, and over the past summer I went to Germany and Switzerland.
     Now I am 18 and currently a student at Kansas State University pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science. I'm living in Marlatt hall and taking even more German and the reason I'm writing a blog: Intro to Computing Science.