On Thursday, June 16 2011, International Business Machines (IBM), perhaps America’s oldest tech company, will turn 100 years old. To test your knowledge of this iconic company, I’ve put together a quick TR Dojo Pop Quiz.
If you need a bit of a refresher before taking the quiz, check out this quick CBS News Sunday Morning video on IBM’s history.
Note: Unfortunately, our poll tool, which I use to create each pop quiz, doesn’t let me indicate a correct answer after each question. To keep from giving away the answers before everyone has a chance to test his/her knowledge, and ruining all the fun, I’ve published the answers on the last page of this blog post. I encourage everyone to answer all the questions before looking at the last page or using your favorite search engine to find the answers.
Which of the following companies would eventually be renamed IBM?
Which of the following locations is IBM's first manufacturing facility and designated "Plant No. 1"?
Who was IBM's first president and chairman?
IBM chairman Thomas J. Watson introduced which of the following mottos, which become a symbol of IBM?
In 1957, IBM introduced which of the following computer languages?
Introduced in 1961, IBM's iconic "Selectric" typewriter uses a replaceable typing element shaped like a ________ ?
In 1964, IBM introduces the ________ a "family" of computers that offered interchangeable software and peripherals.
Which company produced the operating system, called DOS, which ran the first IBM PC?
In 1990, IBM scientists used a scanning tunneling microscope to spell I-B-M with _____ .
In 2011, IBM's Watson computer competed against two humans on which TV game show?
For more information on IBM and its history, check out the following resources:
- As centennial looms, IBM CEO succession talk perks up
- IBM Archives
- IBM Centennial Film: They Were There - People who changed the way the world works
- IBM Centennial Film: 100 X 100 - A century of achievements that have changed the world
For answers to the quiz, go to the next page.
