History of the Design of the SAGE Computer-The AN/FSQ-7

This paper tells the story of the development of the SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) air-defense computer, the AN/FSQ-7. At the time of its operational deployment in 1958, the AN/FSQ-7 was the first large-scale, real-time digital control computer supporting a major military mission. The AN/FSQ-7 design, including its architecture, components, and computer programs, drew on research and development programs throughout the United States, but mostly on work done at MIT's Project Whirlwind and at IBM.