handwoven core memories

Computer technology from back in the day look comically primitive and bulky but in a cute way? There was a time, in the yesteryears, when computer memory was handwoven by Women 💪🏽. In the early days of computing, memory technology only permitted a capacity of very few bytes. The first electronic computer developed during the Second World War to help the military calculate artillery firing tables used vacuum tubes to store data. Core memory on the other hand, was first developed in the 1950s and was the most common type of RAM (Random Access Memory). It became became the dominant memory technology during the first two decades of the Cold War.

These beautiful Ferromagnetic Core Memories are light-weight, hand-woven, and their rope technique consists of weaving software into high-density storage. Core memory used metal wires threaded through tiny donut-shaped ferrite rings, or “cores,” to represent 1s and 0s. The wires are tightly laced through small ferrite rings and the ferrite becomes magnetized when exposed to magnetic fields. Electric currents are sent through the wire, which creates magnetic fields, operate in opposite polarities, which are in tune with the wiring components that make up the bits and bytes.

LOL (not laughing out loud) more like “Little Old Lady” memory is what the core rope memory was referred to as. Margaret Hamilton was actually one of our “rope mothers.” Also fun fact: the Apollo moons missions were made possible by the accomplishments of these Core Memory magicians including Navajo and Raytheon women. That computer, and that software, relied on the skilled, technical, embodied expertise and labor of thousands of women, including women of color. They were indubitably women of science, and their untold stories call us to reconsider who does science, and what counts as scientific expertise.

Isn’t it wonderful how computation, memory, and textiles are intertwine. Not sure exactly what can be done with these nowadays but I will definitely keep learning more about these core memories and update with ya’ll with more info ‘cause sharing is caring. ♡