Computer History Museum

In the span of two generations computer technology has jumped from huge computers that filled an entire room and needed a small army of technicians to maintain and run them to the incredibly powerful and tiny mobile computers we carry in our pockets (which also can make phone calls). It is easy to take this rapid evolution for granted as we become more comfortable with computers in every aspect of our lives but a trip to the Computer History Museum in Mountain Park, CA (just South of San Francisco in "Silicon Valley") will make any visitor stop in awe of how things have changed. 

We visited the Computer History Museum in July as part of a trip to San Francisco - it was our first stop after driving all morning. The museum contains a visual history of the evolution of computers from the Babbage Differential Engine (the first mechanical computer consisting of 8,000 parts, weighing five tons, and measures 11 feet long) to the ENIAC (a computer the size of a room used by the US War Department after WWII), to mainframe computers using punch-cards, to the first Apple computer and Atari game consoles, to a Google self-driving car. The museum displays only a fraction of their catalog but the items on display are incredible and visually illustrate how technology and computers have changed over a span of 60 years. The museum includes several hands-on exhibits to help demystify the "magic" of computer technology and also highlights some of the more prominent women and men who helped to create the modern digital world we live in. 

Babbage Difference Engine #2 

JOHNNIAC Computer

IBM Mainframe demonstration lab

There are many special exhibits such as the history of video games (including some classic games you can play), the history of the Internet, and an exhibit on the evolution of robotics. The museum also has unique historical items such as a German Enigma Machine (of WWII fame), a guidance computer from an Apollo mission command module, and a .  The museum has a lot of information for Uber-Geeks as well as people just discovering technology.

German Enigma Machine

The museum is fairly large with a lot of exhibits to take in and can take a couple of hours to really see everything. They also offer a lot of classes for people of all ages and skills throughout the year. Of course, the gift shop is a must-visit as well.  ;-)

 - http://www.computerhistory.org