America 250: From quill pens to AI, how the US records its history
America 250: From quill pens to AI, how the US records its history
Publish Date: 2026-03-27 15:21:00
Source Domain: wtop.com
- America’s story began with quill and ink in 1776, and typewriters were only introduced to the federal government more than a century later.
- In 1880, the White House received its first typewriter, the Fairbanks and Company Improved Number Two, which was revolutionary at the time.
- Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, and Grover Cleveland initially did not embrace the typewriter.
- It took nine years after the introduction of the typewriter before the first presidential correspondence was written on one, thanks to Alice Sanger, President Benjamin Harrison’s secretary.
- The adoption of computers began with the UNIVAC I in 1951, the first computer designed for data processing over scientific calculations.
- By the mid-1960s, the federal government switched to the IBM System/360 due to its affordable leasing model and strong marketing.
- In the late 20th century, the cloud computing era began with the Obama administration’s 2011 Cloud First Policy, aiming to modernize government IT infrastructure.
- Artificial intelligence now plays a significant role in various sectors, including the National Archives for document preservation and the Department of Veterans Affairs for faster claim processing.
