was a major American manufacturer of business equipment and one of the largest producers of mainframe computers in the world. Founded in 1886 as the American Arithmometer Company in St. Louis, Missouri, by William Seward Burroughs I, the company initially produced mechanical adding machines. It evolved into the Burroughs Adding Machine Company in 1904 and later renamed itself the Burroughs Corporation in 1953 to reflect its expansion into digital computing.
The company entered the computer industry in 1956 by acquiring ElectroData Corporation, which provided the foundation for its early computers like the B205 tube computer. Burroughs became known for its innovative "language-directed design" philosophy, creating systems optimized for high-level programming languages such as ALGOL, COBOL, and FORTRAN. Key products included the B5000 series (introduced in 1961), the first mainframe with virtual memory and multi-programming, followed by the B6500/B6700, B7700, and A series computers. These systems ran the MCP (Master Control Program) operating system, a pioneering development in computing.
Burroughs was one of the "BUNCH" companies—Burroughs, UNIVAC, NCR, CDC, and Honeywell—recognized as IBM’s main competitors in the 1970s. In 1986, the company merged with the Sperry Corporation to form Unisys, marking the end of Burroughs as an independent entity. The legacy of Burroughs lives on through Unisys’s ClearPath MCP line of computers, which continues to use the architecture pioneered by Burroughs.
Factsheet
Formerly American Arithmometer Company (1886–1904)
Burroughs Adding Machine Company (1904–1953)
Burroughs Adding Machine Company (1904–1953)
Industry Business equipment
Adding machines
Mainframe computers
Adding machines
Mainframe computers
Founded 1886; 140 years ago (1886)
Formerly American Arithmometer Company (1886–1904)
Burroughs Adding Machine Company (1904–1953)
Burroughs Adding Machine Company (1904–1953)
Industry Business equipment
Adding machines
Mainframe computers
Adding machines
Mainframe computers
Founded 1886; 140 years ago (1886)
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Burroughs_Corporation
Burroughs Corporation - Wikipedia
1 week ago - The company was founded in 1886 as the American Arithmometer Company by William Seward Burroughs. The company's history paralleled many of the major developments in computing. At its start, it produced mechanical adding machines, and later moved into programmable ledgers and then computers.
Computer History Museum
computerhistory.org › brochures › a-c › com-42b9d3a6a3885
Burroughs Corporation | Selling the Computer Revolution | Computer History Museum
Burroughs created many highly regarded computer systems in the 1960s and 1970s and eventually merged with the makers of the Univac computers (Sperry Rand) to form Unisys.
Videos
Donald Knuth - Burroughs Corporation (29/97)
21:04
1964 Burroughs Computers Computer History (B5000, B280, BUIC D825; ...
27:05
1963 Burroughs Computer History Archives Project, Datatron, ...
36:06
Restoring a Burroughs B21 (Convergent Technologies AWS) Vintage ...
Burroughsinfo
burroughsinfo.com › historical-timeline.html
Historical Timeline - Burroughs Adding Machine Company
Burroughs Ticketeer ticketing systems enter pilot installations at railroads. P 400 multiple total adding machine released. ... The Company’s name is changed from the Burroughs Adding Machine Company to the Burroughs Corporation.
Smithsonian Institution
si.edu › spotlight › adding-machines › full-keyboard-burroughs
Full-Keyboard – Burroughs | Smithsonian Institution
Burroughs Corporation inventors devoted attention to electronic computers, but did not attempt to design electronic calculators. In 1963 it gave many of the models and machines from its Patent Department collection to the Smithsonian. The company merged with Sperry Rand Corporation in 1986 to form Unisys Corporation.
University of Minnesota Archival Collections
archives.lib.umn.edu › repositories › 3 › resources › 222
Collection: Burroughs Corporation records | University of Minnesota Archival Collections Guides
In 1953 the Burroughs Adding Machine Company was renamed the Burroughs Corporation, a name more reflective of their broad scope of products. They still had a strong market in adding and calculating machines, especially at banks and similar institutions. However, they were also moving into the computer field about this time.
OCLC
researchworks.oclc.org › archivegrid › collection › data › 63282918
ArchiveGrid : Burroughs Corporation collection, 1886-1990
The Burroughs Corporation was one of the largest adding machine and electronic computer manufacturers in the United States. It began as the American Arithmometer Company in 1886, founded in St.
Science Museum Group
collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk › people › ap14466 › burroughs-corporation
Burroughs Corporation | Science Museum Group Collection
In 1953, the Burroughs Adding Machine Company was renamed the Burroughs Corporation and began moving into computer products, initially for banking institutions. Burroughs purchased the Californian ElectroData Corporation in 1956, an amalgamation that would give way to the B205 tube computer.
Burroughsinfo
burroughsinfo.com › history-by-burroughs-june-1983.html
"History" by Burroughs (June 1983) - Burroughs Adding Machine Company
While Burroughs efforts were again directed toward production of commercial machines in the post-war period, World War II had marked the beginning of a major turning point for Burroughs. The war had accelerated the development of electronic technology, including the potential for development of the electronic computer. Beginning in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Company's growth was in four principle areas: electronic development, computer systems, and diverse products which supported banking and business applications.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Burroughs_Large_Systems
Burroughs Large Systems - Wikipedia
1 month ago - "Burroughs Large Systems" referred ... B3000, and B4000) or the flexible-architecture Small Systems (B1000). Founded in the 1880s, Burroughs was the oldest continuously operating company in computing (Elliott Brothers was founded before Burroughs, but did not make computing ...
Kiddle
kids.kiddle.co › Burroughs_Corporation
Burroughs Corporation facts for kids
The Burroughs Corporation was a big American company that made business machines. It started in 1886 as the American Arithmometer Company. The founder was William Seward Burroughs I. In 1986, Burroughs joined with Sperry UNIVAC to create a new ...
Acms
forum.acms.org.au › t › burroughs-accounting-machine › 387
Burroughs Accounting Machine? - Australian Computer Museum Society Forum
May 29, 2023 - Hi there I have been told that ACMS have a Burroughs Accounting Machine ( Maybe the L5000). Can some take pictures? Adrian said it’s rather heavy and not in a very good state these days. My wife used to work on one entering accounts in the 70s. Thanks
Reddit
reddit.com › r/retrobattlestations › burroughs/unisys icon system from the 80s / early 90s
r/retrobattlestations on Reddit: Burroughs/Unisys ICON system from the 80s / early 90s
August 14, 2021 - These machines are fascinating pieces of Canadian computing history ... I remembering using these in Grade 2 back in 1995. Glad someone saved em since Ontario blew it all up. ... I would kill to play The Bartlett Saga again. I don't remember if this is the one that had the crop-farming game but man that was addictive to me back in the 80s. Northwest Fur Trader was another good one on this platform. ... My father worked for Burroughs (and then Unisys) in the 80s into the early 90s and I remember watching him do something on one of these when I went to work with him for an open house or something.
Unisys
unisys.com › company-history
Unisys History | Unisys
May 10, 2022 - Unisys, an American technology consulting company was formed in 1986 from the merger of the Sperry Corporation and the Burroughs Corporation.
Hacker News
news.ycombinator.com › item
Interesting read. Why wasn't the Burroughs more successful? | Hacker News
May 3, 2016 - C and UNIX got widely adopted, because AT&T wasn't allowed to sell it, so they gave the source code for free to universities. Which then used the code to replace the expensive OSes that they were running on their mainframes · When AT&T was allowed to charge for it afterwards, they tried to ...
NYTimes
nytimes.com › 1986 › 11 › 11 › business › burroughs-announces-new-company-name.html
BURROUGHS ANNOUNCES NEW COMPANY NAME - The New York Times
November 11, 1986 - The Burroughs Corporation and the Sperry Corporation, which agreed to merge five months ago, yesterday announced the name for their new company. The computer maker will now be known as the Unisys Corporation, its chairman, W.
Facebook
facebook.com › groups › 102631396438963
Former Burroughs Corporation Employees
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Lemelson
lemelson.mit.edu › resources › william-burroughs
William Burroughs | Lemelson
In 1953, the Burroughs Adding Machine Company was renamed the Burroughs Corporation, a name more reflective of their broad scope of products, which began to include computers. In 1986, Burroughs Corporation merged with Sperry Corporation to form Unisys Corporation.
The Henry Ford
thehenryford.org › explore › blog › wherever-there-s-business-there-s-burroughs
“Wherever There’s Business There’s Burroughs” - Blog - The Henry Ford
July 27, 2020 - In 1953, to reflect its increasingly diverse product and service offerings, the company was renamed the Burroughs Corporation, and was recognized as a single outlet for a variety of business management products. One of the most significant acquisitions came in 1956, when Burroughs acquired ElectroData Corporation of Pasadena, California. This allowed Burroughs to further expand into the electronic computing market and led to the development of the B5000 series in 1961, which was celebrated as a groundbreaking scientific and business computer.
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Computing History
computinghistory.org.uk › det › 8226 › Burroughs-Corporation
Burroughs Corporation - Company - Computing History
9 hours ago - The Burroughs Corporation began in 1886 as the American Arithmometer adding machine Company in St.The Burroughs Corporation began in 1886 as the American Arithmometer adding machine Company in St. ...
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
A History of Burroughs Corporation Computers & Machines to 1956 , UDEC, E101, UNISYS Educational - YouTube
Good quality Burroughs promotional film showing early adding machines, calculators, accounting & printing machines and brief but very rare footage of early B...
Published January 7, 2019