Hunting for Government's Oldest Computer

What started out as an attempt to answer a (seemingly) simple question - what is the oldest computer still in use by a government agency - has seen spiraled into a project that touches on issues of national security, record keeping, and finally finding out whatever happened to Zeos.

Interested in helping out? Pick an agency that’s not listed below, and click here to clone the request language. After that, email us at info@muckrock.com, and we’ll add it to the list. Happy hunting!

6 Articles

The oldest computer (not) on Earth

The oldest computer (not) on Earth

When Allan Lasser started his hunt for the Government’s most ancient piece of tech, he hadn’t even considered that the oldest active computer might not even be on Earth.

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The oldest computer in use by the federal government has been found

The oldest computer in use by the federal government has been found

A recently released Government Accountability Office report solved the mystery of the government’s oldest computer, which surprisingly enough, isn’t a technically a computer in the conventional sense. Even more surprisingly, The Simpsons accurately predicted the winner back in 1998.

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A look inside the Department of Energy's computer closet

A look inside the Department of Energy’s computer closet

Allan Lasser received spreadsheet from the Department of Energy, listing all the computer hardware they currently have in their headquarters office. With this digital copy, we can ask some simple questions against their inventory and get answers very quickly. And make cool charts!

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