Clara Froelich (1892-1991) graduated with honors from Barnard College in 1915 and went to work in the mathematics division of Bell Telephone Laboratories. When she discovered that the mathematics division did not have its own machines, she spent evenings in the company’s accounting office working on the tabulators typically used for business transactions. Clara eventually operated two calculating machines, the Millionaire calculator, and the Mercedes, and found that these machines could perform two-part operations of complex arithmetic.
Clara Froelich’s image was believed to be lost but we found this early computer scientist’s photograph- in her Barnard College yearbook! We can now put a face to this pioneering woman’s name! Click here to download your own hi res black and white photograph of Clara! What is the most amazing lost item you’ve ever found?