IT find series 1/2026: What do you think it could be?
Join us on a journey into the past: What is this device and what do you personally associate with it?
Tell us your story!
This item is a Millionaire calculator.
Dusty find
The «Millionaire» direct multiplication calculator was manufactured between 1893 and 1935, partly in wood and partly in sheet metal. (Source Wikipedia Millionaire calculator German, English)
Thanks to Eric Müller, an employee at High Performance Computing, IT Services (ITS SIS), the item was recovered from a service room in the computer centre building and retained for safekeeping.
We have no idea who worked with this machine at ETH. Nor where and when the device was in use.
Octavo Museum
The object is now being temporarily exhibited on the display wall in the ETH Octavo building.
Find labelling in Octavo (display wall «ETH in figures»)
Many thanks to ETH Signage. Above all to Corinne Jordan and her team, who showcased the device.
ETH life
The find was published as a snapshot in the December 2025 issue.
life edition December 2025, page 10
Close-ups of the find
Your story
What links you to the Millionaire? Did you have to deal with such a calculator or a similar one in the past as part of your job?
We look forward to hearing from you. We also look forward to receiving your stories and comments on this post. And if you have an IT find for our inside|out section, please contact us.
History / ITS & ETH write history
- Previous IT Finds to guess
- More on the history of ITS & ETH in the ITS Blog and on the ETH website
Contact
We look forward to hearing from you.
Your inside|out editorial team, Sabine Hoffmann, Head of PR & Communications
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