6pmnet - February 2023 Net Topics

Topics for Monday February 27: The Day the Music Died and... Abandoned Houses

The Day the Music Died Day

On February 3rd, remember the unfortunate and untimely death of singers 22-year-old Buddy Holly, 17-year-old Ritchie Valens, and 28-year-old J. P. Richardson, aka: “The Big Bopper.” These three artists died in an airplane accident on February 3, 1959, near Clear Lake, Iowa.

Abandon Houses in Your Neighborhood

Tell us about that Spooky Abandon House, in your neighborhood.

An abandoned house is one that an owner has voluntarily left behind. Usually, a home is considered abandoned when the owner has not occupied it for several years. In order for abandonment to be considered, there must be clear evidence that the owner has given up their rights to the property.

Topics for Wednesday February 22: F.W. Woolworth and... The Purple Heart

Woolworth: A Five and Dime Story

On February 22, 1879, Frank Woolworth opened his first store, and nickled and dimed his way to wealth.

The “five-and-ten store” officially departed the American landscape in 1997. That year, the F. W. Woolworth Company ended 118 years in the discount retail business.

In fact, the five-and-dime store had already passed away forty years earlier. As the Saturday Evening Post reported it,

“The five-and-ten, as an American institution, came to a quiet end on November 13, 1935. The occasion was a meeting of the board of directors of the F. W. Woolworth Co. The action they took was designed to engineer the company into merchandising more profitably than the price-restricted field of five-and-ten.”

On that fateful day, the board passed the following resolution:

‘Resolved that the selling-price limit of twenty cents on merchandise be discontinued.’

It may surprise many Americans who grew up at five-and-ten stores that the store name wasn’t just meant to connote inexpensive merchandise. It was the store’s rigid pricing policy: a nickel or dime would buy any item in the store.

It’s just as surprising that the store could keep its shelves stocked only with 5¢ and 10¢ items for 55 years.

By the 1930s, though, the store had bowed to inflation by allowing 20¢ as the top price they could charge. Even this adjustment proved too restrictive. So, Woolworth abandoned the five-and-dime policy. It proved a fortunate, if regretted, move. The Woolworth chain continued to prosper. As late as 1979, Woolworth, with its subsidiary Woolco, operated 800 stores, making it the largest department store chain in the world.

There was little indication of this future greatness when Frank Woolworth opened his Great Five Cent Store in Utica, New York. The idea had already proved itself in Michigan and western New York, where merchants had sold mass-produced, low-cost household goods in “nickel stores.”

On the evening before his scheduled opening, there was a knock at his store door. A woman was peering through the glass.

“The store isn’t open, madam.”

“I know what I want. I’ve read your circulars. I want a five-cent fire shovel.”

She was the first customer, and he served her without premonition of the vast tide of humanity which was to follow her.

Frank was young enough to see his Five Cent Stores become a nationwide chain. Thirty-four years after opening his first store, he moved into his office in the new Woolworth Building in New York City— the tallest building in the world (until surpassed by the Chrysler Building in 1930.)

One of the secrets for his success, Woolworth believed, was the attraction of five-cent and, eventually, ten-cent pricing.

Right after the Fourth of July in 1890, Woolworth complained: “One of the stores wrote me they sold firecrackers for 3 cents and some of the large ones at 15 cents per bunch, and, in my opinion, was all wrong, as it is getting off the idea of strictly 5 and 10 cents business— Stick to the original idea.”

Candy sales were particularly important to Woolworth’s success.

“I don’t pretend to know much about the candy business, but, in my opinion, if you want to make a big success of candy, put it in brass trays and put it up near the door, so that people can be reminded of it as they are passing out and take some home to the children. “

Woolworth believed that candy, alone, would pay the rent on each store.

Another reason for Woolworth’s success was a model that still works: importing goods from foreign markets with cheap labor. In the 1880s, this was Europe.

While the “five-and-dime” store has gone, the principle is still very much alive. The nickel and dime of 1935, in today’s market, has the purchasing power of 75¢ and $1.50, which keeps hundreds of Everything-Costs-A-Dollar stores in operation.

Revival of Awarding the Purple Heart - 1932

Purple Heart, the first U.S. military decoration, instituted by General George Washington in 1782 and awarded for bravery in action. The records show that only three men received it during the American Revolution, all of them noncommissioned officers. Two of these coveted badges still exist. The original medal, sewn onto the coat, was simply a purple heart-shaped piece of cloth edged with silver braid. Although this was the medal of honor of the Revolution, it seems to have been forgotten for about 150 years.

Washington’s order was allowed to lapse after the war ended and the Purple Heart wasn’t revived until Feb. 22, 1932, on Washington’s 200th birthday. Designed by Elizabeth Will, an Army heraldic specialist, the modern medal features a profile image of Washington. Once again, the medal was awarded for meritorious service, but now soldiers could also receive it if they’d been wounded by the enemy.

The award was made retroactive -- World War I soldiers who had earned certain awards could apply for the Purple Heart. The first medal was presented to Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the Army chief of staff at the time.

At first, the Purple Heart was only available to Army soldiers, but in 1942 Congress changed the rules for earning the award, authorizing it only for wounds, and made it available to all services, including some civilians. An Oak Leaf Cluster is granted to a member of the U.S. Army or Air Force who has been previously wounded and who already has a Purple Heart, and a Gold Star is awarded to a member of the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard for the same purpose.

Civilians who worked with the military, like Red Cross workers or war reporters, remained eligible for the award until 1997. Civilian employees of the Defense Department who are killed or wounded by an enemy now receive the Defense of Freedom Medal.

In the years since, the qualifications that dictate who is eligible to receive a Purple Heart have changed over time and continue to evolve even until today.

Perhaps one of the most beautifully designed of all U.S. decorations, the medal is a purple heart-shaped badge with bronze edges that depicts a profile relief bust of Washington in the uniform of a general in the Continental Army. The reverse side bears the inscription “For Military Merit” with the recipient’s name below.

Net Discussion Questions:

Woolworth

Was there a Woolworths store near where you grew up?
What do you remember about the place?
Did it have a lunch counter?
What did you buy there?

Purple Heart Medal

Who is the only U.S. president to earn a Purple Heart?
How many Purple Hearts have been awarded to date?

Topics for Monday February 20: Ansel Adams and... Presidents Day

Ansel Adams – 121 Years Old today

Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association of photographers advocating "pure" photography which favored sharp focus and the use of the full tonal range of a photograph. He and Fred Archer developed an exacting system of image-making called the Zone System, a method of achieving a desired final print through a deeply technical understanding of how tonal range is recorded and developed during exposure, negative development, and printing. The resulting clarity and depth of such images characterized his photography.

Adams was a life-long advocate for environmental conservation, and his photographic practice was deeply entwined with this advocacy. At age 12, he was given his first camera during his first visit to Yosemite National Park. He developed his early photographic work as a member of the Sierra Club. He was later contracted with the United States Department of the Interior to make photographs of national parks. For his work and his persistent advocacy, which helped expand the National Park system, he was awarded, by Jimmy Carter, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980.

Adams was a key advisor in establishing the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, an important landmark in securing photography's institutional legitimacy. He helped to stage that department's first photography exhibition, helped found the photography magazine Aperture, and co-founded the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona.

Adams was known mostly for his boldly printed, large-format black-and-white images, but he also worked extensively with color. However, he preferred black-and-white photography, which he believed could be manipulated to produce a wide range of bold, expressive tones, and he felt constricted by the rigidity of the color process. Most of his color work was done on assignments, and he did not consider his color work to be important or expressive, even explicitly forbidding any posthumous exploitation of his color work.

Most of Adams' best-known images were taken with 8x10 and 4x5 view cameras. He also used a variety of other negative formats, from 35mm and medium format roll film through less common formats such as Polaroid type 55 and 7x17 panoramic cameras.

The 1958 documentary "Ansel Adams, Photographer" narrated by Beaumont Newhall gives an overview of Adams's toolkit at the time, with some examples of his camera outfits including:

· 8 x 10 view camera, 20 holders, 4 lenses - 1 Cooke Convertible, 1 ten-inch Wide Field Ektar, 1 9-inch Dagor, one 6-3/4-inch Wollensak wide angle.

· 7 x 17 special panorama camera with a Protar 13-1/2-inch lens and five holders.

· 4 x 5 view camera, 6 lenses - 12-inch Collinear, 8-1/2 APO Lantar, 9-1/4 APO Tessar, 4-inch Wide Field Ektar, Dallmeyer London Telephoto

Adams mounted a platform on the roof of his car to allow him to take images with the view cameras from an elevated point of view.

Net Discussion Questions:

Ansel Adams

Are you familiar with photographer Ansel Adams?
What else can you share about him?
Prior to cell phones, were you a photographer?

If yes, what kind of photos did you take?
What kind of equipment did you use?

Ansel Adams

Do you do anything special to celebrate Presidents’ Day?
Do you think that 3 day weekends bring benefits both spiritually and economically to the country?

Presidents' Day 2023: What and When is Presidents' Day?

Presidents’ Day is observed annually on the third Monday in February.

Presidents’ Day is Monday, February 20! Is Washington’s birthday the same as Presidents’ Day? Which presidents do we celebrate on Presidents’ Day? When was George Washington’s actual birthday? What day is Washington’s birthday and why did it change? Get answers to these common questions—and the truth about a few common George Washington myths.

Is This Holiday Called Presidents’ Day or Washington’s Birthday?

Although the holiday is most often referred to as “Presidents’ Day,” the observed federal holiday is officially called “Washington’s Birthday.”

Neither Congress nor the President has ever stipulated that the name of the holiday observed as Washington’s Birthday be changed to Presidents’ Day. Additionally, Congress has never declared a national holiday that is binding in all states; each state has the freedom to determine its own legal holidays. This is why there are some calendar discrepancies when it comes to this holiday’s date.

So why is Washington’s Birthday commonly called Presidents’ Day?

In a sense, calling the holiday Presidents’ Day helps us to reflect on not just the first president, but also the founding of our nation, its values, and what Washington calls in his Farewell Address the “beloved Constitution and union, as received from the Founders.” Additionally, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is in February (on the 12th), so by calling the holiday “Presidents’ Day,” we can include another remarkable president in our celebrations as well.

Today, many calendars list the third Monday of February as Presidents’ Day, just as quite a few U.S. states do, too. Of course, all the 3-day retail store sales are called “Presidents’ Day” sales and this vernacular has also been influential in how we reference the holiday.

Presidents’ Day History

Historically, Americans began celebrating George Washington’s Birthday just months after his death, long before Congress declared it a federal holiday. It was not until 1879, under President Rutherford B. Hayes, that Washington’s Birthday became a legal holiday, to be observed on his birthday, February 22.

Washington’s birthday was celebrated on February 22 until well into the 20th century. In 1968, Congress passed the Monday Holiday Law to “provide uniform annual observances of certain legal public holidays on Mondays.” By creating more 3-day weekends, Congress hoped to “bring substantial benefits to both the spiritual and economic life of the Nation.”

Is Presidents’ Day a Federal Holiday?

Today, George Washington’s Birthday is one of only eleven permanent federal holidays established by Congress. One of the great traditions followed for decades has been the reading by a U.S. senator of George Washington’s Farewell Address in legislative session, which remains an annual event to this day.

Upon entering office, Washington was not convinced that he was the right man for the job. He wrote, “My movements to the chair of government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution.” Fortunately for the young country, he was wrong.

Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.

–George Washington (1732–99)

Topics for Wednesday February 15: Flag Symbolism and... The 1949 ENIAC

Flag Symbolism

National Flag of Canada Day

The flag made its first official appearance on February 15, 1965 (58 YEARS AGO); the date is now celebrated annually as National Flag of Canada Day.

The national flag of Canada often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the Maple Leaf consists of a red field with a white square at its center in the ratio of 1∶2∶1, in which is featured a stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf charged in the center. The flag has become the predominant and most recognizable national symbol of Canada.

The flag is horizontally symmetric and therefore the obverse and reverse sides appear identical. The width of the Maple Leaf flag is twice the height. The maple leaf has been used as a Canadian emblem since the 18th century. It was first used as a national symbol in 1868 when it appeared on the coat of arms of both Ontario and Quebec.

From 1876 until 1901, the leaf appeared on all Canadian coins and remained on the penny after 1901. The use of the maple leaf by the Royal Canadian Regiment as a regimental symbol extended back to 1860. During the First and Second World Wars, badges of the Canadian forces were often based on a maple leaf design. The maple leaf would eventually adorn the tombstones of Canadian military graves.

The number of points on the leaf has no special significance; the number and arrangement of the points were chosen after wind tunnel tests showed the current design to be the least blurry of the various designs when tested under high-wind conditions. In 1984, the National Flag of Canada Manufacturing Standards Act was passed to unify the manufacturing standards for flags used in both indoor and outdoor conditions.

Other examples of flag symbolism:

Japan - The Japanese flag, otherwise known as “Nisshōki,” is a white rectangle with a red disk in the middle. The red disk is representative of the sun goddess Amaterasu, the founder of Japan and the ancestor of its emperors. It symbolizes a bright future.

Brazil - The Brazilian flag was first adopted on November 15, 1889. The bright green color represents the lush forests and expansive fields of Brazil. The main symbol in the middle, a yellow diamond, and a blue globe, illustrates Brazil’s wealth in gold. The words in the globe read “Ordem e Progresso” or, “Order and Progress.” Brazils National Flag shows 27 stars, representing all the Brazilian states and the Federal District. These stars on the Brazil flag make up a symbolic constellation of the southern hemisphere – the Southern Cross with some other constellations around it.

Australian - The original design of the Australian flag was chosen in 1901 from a collection of entries in a national competition. The seven points on the stars represent the unity of the six states and the territories, while the union jack signifies Australia’s place in the Commonwealth, reminding viewers of the history of Australia’s settlement by the British in 1788.

NET DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

The combination of a flag’s colors and emblems help to establish a flag’s theme, which can be a source of pride and should represent the core values for the nation in which it stands. Each national flag has its own unique meaning and distinct history.

What are other examples of flag symbolism do you know?

Computer Programming is what made the ENIAC unique and set the stage for the modern computers ability to run complex instructions.

Have you done any computer programming?

Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer ENIAC Day

ENIAC Day or the World’s First Computer Day is celebrated on February 15th - 77 years ago.

On February 10, 2011, the City of Philadelphia officially declared that February 15, the anniversary of the unveiling of the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), the world's first general-purpose electronic computer, developed at the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Electrical Engineering - would that year and henceforth be known as ENIAC Day.

The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, or ENIAC, was built to calculate ballistic trajectories for the Army during World War II, a time- and labor-intensive process that had previously been performed by teams of mathematicians working with mechanical calculators.

Under the direction of John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert of Penn’s Moore School of Electrical Engineering (now the School of Engineering and Applied Science), construction of the 27-ton, 680-square-foot computer began in July 1943 and was announced to the public on Feb. 14, 1946.

As the first electronic general-purpose computer, ENIAC was a major step forward from its technological predecessors: calculating machines that had their roots in ancient math tools like the abacus.

ENIAC was electronic in that it stored numeric information as electrons in vacuum tubes, and was a computer in that it could be programmed to do any sort of calculation. Programming was done manually, by rearranging the wires that connected its various calculating components in a series of complicated steps.

Notably, the six original programmers, or “computers” as they were then called, were all women. In one of the only scientific fields that has seen an increase in gender disparity over the last two decades, Betty Snyder Holberton, Jean Jennings Bartik, Kathleen McNulty Mauchly Antonelli, Marlyn Wescoff Meltzer, Ruth Lichterman Teitelbaum and Frances Bilas Spence continued the pioneering tradition of Ada Lovelace, who wrote the first algorithm for Charles Babbage’s mechanical analytical engine and is considered to be the first computer programmer.

John Mauchly and Presper Eckert went on to found the first computer company, the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation, and ENIAC served as an archetype for the room-filling vacuum-tube computers that immediately followed it, as well as the silicon microprocessors that can be found in almost every modern electronic device.

For ENIAC’s 50th anniversary in 1996, students working under Penn Engineering’s Jan van der Spiegel demonstrated just how far computers have come by replicating ENIAC’s design and functionality on a computer chip less than a tenth of the size of a postage stamp.

Topics for Monday February 13: Balloons and... What Happened to Vacations?

What's With the Balloons?

WASHINGTON — American fighter pilots shot down two more unidentified flying objects over the weekend, adding to the mounting number of questions about the nature of the high-flying orbs, the identity of their makers and the implications for national security. New York Times 2/13/23

Net Discussion/Comments

Balloons

What do you think these "mystery craft" are?
Why is the U.S. dowing them all of a sudden?
Is the U.S. response to little, too much, or about right?

Vacations

What's your theory about declining vacations?
Are you taking more or fewer vacations and why?

The Mystery of the

Disappearing Vacation Day

Did you know that Americans are about half as likely to be taking vacation in any given week as they were 40 years ago? Neither did we! When we spotted this alarming trend in an obscure government time series, our eyebrows shot up so far our ears popped.

Where have our vacations gone? Washington Post 2/13/23

Topics for Wednesday February 8: Boy Scouts & 2-Way Radio and... Jules Verne

Boy Scouts of America Founded in 1910

Scouting and Radio

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded on February 8, 1910, and since then, about 110 million Americans have participated in BSA programs.

The main Scouting divisions are Cub Scouting for ages 5 to 11 years, Scouts BSA for ages 10 to 18, Venturing for ages 14 through 21, and Sea Scouts for ages 14 through 21. The BSA operates Scouting by chartering local organizations, such as churches, clubs, civic associations, or educational organizations, to implement the Scouting program for youth within their communities. Units are led entirely by volunteers appointed by the chartering organization, who are supported by local councils using both paid professional Scouters and volunteers.

On February 1, 2019, the Boy Scouts of America renamed its flagship program, Boy Scouts, to Scouts BSA to reflect its policy change allowing girls to join separate, gender-specific troops.

The program uses a series of medals and patches as emblems:

· Scout rank consists of a simple fleur-de-lis, which symbolizes a compass needle. The needle points the Scout in the right direction, which is onward and upward.

· Tenderfoot badge takes the fleur-de-lis of the Scout badge and adds two stars and an eagle with an American shield. The stars symbolize truth and knowledge; the eagle and shield symbolize freedom and readiness to defend it.

· Second-Class badge features a scroll inscribed with the Scout Motto, BE PREPARED, with the ends turned up and a knotted rope hanging from the bottom. The knot reminds each Scout to remember the Scout slogan, Do a Good Turn Daily, and the upturned ends of the scroll symbolize cheerfulness in service.

· First-Class badge combines the elements of the Tenderfoot and Second-Class badges. For many years, the First-Class badge was used as the official emblem of the BSA.

· Star has a First-Class symbol on a five-pointed yellow star, and initially indicated the five merit badges required to earn the rank.

· Life has a First-Class emblem on a red heart, and initially symbolized the first aid and health-related merit badges that the rank required. Now it signifies that the ideals of Scouting have become a part of the Scout's life and character.

· The rank insignia have been around since the beginning. The current design for the Eagle Scout badge was adopted in 1985, with minor modifications in 1986 and 1989. The Eagle Scout medal is of the same basic design as in 1915, with only occasional slight modifications due to changes in manufacturer over time, most recently in 1999. The current design of the other rank badges were finalized in 1990.

Wireless Merit Badge

Ham radio has been a part of Scouting since 1918 with the inauguration of the Wireless merit badge. The ARRL was a key contributor in establishing those early requirements and in pulling together that first merit badge pamphlet. This merit badge, among many, is part of Scouting’s legacy of providing concise information and rigorous requirements to introduce Scouts to hobbies, vocations, and generally fun stuff. The list of merit badges today numbers over 130, covering diverse topics from Nuclear Science to a recently introduced Welding merit badge.

Not surprisingly, the history of the Radio merit badge reflects the history of Amateur Radio. For example, the 1922 merit badge pamphlet shows a requirement of receiving Morse code at a rate of 10 WPM, in 1930 the requirement was 5 WPM and in 1984 the code requirement was dropped completely. Since then, the number of Radio merit badges earned each year has grown from roughly 1000 per year to more than 7000 in 2000.

Even though Scouting dropped the Morse code requirement from the Radio merit badge, it has recently introduced a Morse code interpreter strip. An interpreter strip, worn on the youth or adult Scout uniform over the right pocket, designates those who are proficient in a language and denotes their availability to translate that language for others. In this case, the patch indicates that a Scout or Scout leader is available for disaster communication or other types of supporting communication for Scouting and the community. The patch is in code, with the word M-O-R-S-E spelled out.

The requirements for the interpreter badge are to show knowledge of Morse code by carrying on a 5-minute conversation at 5 WPM, copying correctly a 2-minute message sent at 5 WPM and sending a 25-word message at 5 WPM.

Jules Verne - “The Father of Science Fiction”

Born on this day in 1828, 195 years ago.

French author Jules Verne (d.1905) was born on this date. Many of his 19th-century works forecast amazing scientific feats--feats that were carried out in the 20th century--with uncanny accuracy.

Verne's 1865 book “From the Earth to the Moon” told the story of a spaceship that is launched from Florida to the moon and that returns to Earth by landing in the ocean.

Something of a scientist and traveler himself, Verne's 1870 work about a submarine, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," and "Around the World in Eighty Days" also foretold technological advances that seemed fantastic at the time.

Jules Verne has been the second most-translated author in the world since 1979, ranking between Agatha Christie and William Shakespeare. He has sometimes been called the "father of science fiction", a title that has also been given to H. G. Wells and Hugo Gernsback. In the 2010s, he was the most translated French author in the world. In France, 2005 was declared "Jules Verne Year" on the centenary of the writer's death.

Net Discussion Questions:

Were you a Boy Scout?

Did you enjoy the experience?

What rank did you attain?

Did you earn the Wireless Radio Merit Badge?

Are you familiar with Jules Verne?

Topics for Monday February 6: Let's Talk VHF/UHF Digital and... the New Yaesu FTM-500 DR

Are you using DMR FUSION or D STAR?

Let's talk UHF VHF modes!

NEW RADIO YAESU FTM-500DR

ALL THE INFO IS NOT RELESED YET BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YAESU'S SO CALLED FLAGSHIP DULEBAND?

Topics for Wednesday February 1: National Freedom Day and the HP-35 Scientific Calculator

NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY – February 1st.

National Freedom Day, always observed on February 1st, celebrates freedom from slavery. It also recognizes that America is a symbol of liberty. The day honors the signing by Abraham Lincoln of a joint House and Senate resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. President Lincoln signed the Amendment outlawing slavery on February 1, 1865. It was not ratified by the states, however, until later on December 18, 1865.

NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY HISTORY

A former slave by the name of Major Richard Robert Wright, Sr. created National Freedom Day. Major Wright was looked upon as a great leader in the community. It was believed by Major Wright, that this day needed to be celebrated.

February 1st holds significance because that was the date Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery in 1865. On June 30, 1948, President Harry Truman signed a bill proclaiming February 1st as the first official National Freedom Day in the United States.

National Freedom Day was established with the hopes of promoting goodwill, fairness and equality.

Taking a moment to appreciate all the freedoms we enjoy daily will definitely put a positive spin on your day.

· The Right to Name Your Baby Whatever You Want.

· The Right to a Fair Trial.

· The Freedom to Marry Whomever You Want.

· The Freedom to Wear Whatever You Want.

· The Right to Be Counted As an Equal.

· The Right to an Education.

· The Freedom to Drive.

· The Freedom to Vote.

and more…

The HP- 35

Hewlett-Packard introduced first scientific “hand-held” calculator in 1972

51 years ago today.

Hewlett-Packard introduced the first scientific hand-held calculator. It sold for $395 and was named the HP-35. The HP-35 was Hewlett-Packard's first pocket calculator and the world's first scientific pocket calculator: a calculator with trigonometric and exponential functions.

History

In about 1970 HP co-founder Bill Hewlett challenged his co-workers to create a "shirt-pocket sized HP-9100". At the time, slide rules were the only practical portable devices for performing trigonometric and exponential functions, as existing pocket calculators could only perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Introduced at US$395 (equivalent to $2,559 in 2021), like HP's first scientific calculator, the desktop 9100A, it used reverse Polish notation (RPN) rather than what came to be called "algebraic" entry. The "35" in the calculator's name came from the number of keys.

The original HP-35 was available from 1972 to 1975. In 2007 HP announced the release of the "retro"-look HP 35s to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the launch of the original HP-35. It was priced at US$59.99.

The HP-35 was named an IEEE Milestone in 2009.

HP-35 Calculator trivia

The HP-35 was 5.8 inches long and 3.2 inches wide, said to have been designed to fit into one of William Hewlett's shirt pockets.
Was the first scientific calculator to fly in space in 1973, carried on the Skylab 3 and Skylab 4 flights, between July 1973 and February 1974.
The LED display power requirement was responsible for the HP-35's short battery life between charges — about three hours. To extend operating time and avoid wearing out the on/off slide switch, users would press the decimal point key to force the display to illuminate just a single LED junction.
One high quality feature of the HP-35 was its use of double-injected keys. Rather than printing the function on the key surface where it could wear off over time and use as with cheaper calculators, the keys were constructed with two colors of plastic, providing durable key top labels for the labeled keys.
Introduction of the HP-35 and similar scientific calculators by Texas Instruments soon thereafter signaled the demise of the slide rule among science and engineering students. Slide rule holsters rapidly gave way to "electronic slide rule" holsters, and colleges began to drop slide-rule classes from their curricula.
100,000 HP-35 calculators were sold in the first year, and over 300,000 by the time it was discontinued in 1975—3½ years after its introduction.