I love the things we can create using our electronics technologies, such as digital computers, cellular communications, and wireless networks for example. Over the years, however, I’ve also grown to have a much greater appreciation for mechanical engineers and their cunning contraptions.

I have a particular interest in mechanical calculators. The creativity of people like Blaise Pascal with his Arithmetic Machine, Gottfried von Leibniz with his Step Reckoner, Louis Troncet and his Arithmographe, and Addiator Gesellschaft and his Addiator leaves me gasping in awe.

One of the most famous mechanical calculators of all time is the Curta, which was invented by Curt Herzstark (1902-1988). Looking something like a coffee or pepper grinder, this incredible, high-precision unit fits in the palm of one hand and can perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

The story behind the invention of the Curta is as amazing as the device itself. Curt's father, Samuel Herzstark (1867-1937), was the founder of an Austrian company that manufactured Thomas-based Arithmometers augmented with Herzstark’s own patented inventions. He started as a floor sweeper in his father's factory. Following an apprenticeship as a precision mechanic and toolmaker, Curt was eventually made responsible for sales. While making sales trips and talking to his customers, Curt got the idea for the construction of a unique four-function pocket calculator. After years of experimentation, the first prototype was built in the winter of 1937/38.

And then came the Second World War. In 1943, Curt was arrested and sent to the infamous SS-run Pankraz prison in Prague. From there, he was transported to the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp, where the camp commander ordered him to make drawings of his calculator (apparently, he wanted to give one to Adolf Hitler as a present). Thus, Curt gained access to a small drawing board and managed to re-create his design from memory.

By this strange series of events, Curt was in possession of a complete set of drawings for his calculator—which he called the Curta—when the Americans eventually liberated Buchenwald on 11 April 1945. In 1946, the Prince of Liechtenstein invited Curt to establish a factory to manufacture Curtas in the Principality of Liechtenstein.

In 1949, the Curta I was presented to the market with the Curta II following sometime later. The Curta stayed in production until the early 1970s, at which point electronic pocket calculators started to take over the market. Having said this, the Curta's accuracy of 11 or 15 positions (depending on the model) meant that this device was more accurate than most of its early electronic pocket counterparts.

One of the reasons I’m waffling on about this here is that I have a Curta I in my own little collection. Even though it’s ~70 years old, this bodacious beauty looks, feels, and works as though it just came off the assembly line. Knowing about my Curta, my chum Rick Curl just sent me a link to this video saying: “You might find this to be interesting—it contains parts of the Curta story I never knew.”

This video is presented by American astronomer, author, and teacher Cliff Stoll. As we read on the Wikipedia: “He is best known for his investigation in 1986, while working as a system administrator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, that led to the capture of hacker Markus Hess, and for Stoll's subsequent book The Cuckoo's Egg, in which he details the investigation.”

If you haven’t read The Cuckoo’s Egg, then I strongly recommend it. Cliff’s enthusiasm for everything he does is infectious, as you will see when you watch the video. As always, I’d love to hear what you think about all this.