This compact cylindrical handheld stepped drum calculating machine has gray metal sides and a black top and operating handle. Eleven slots along the side of the cylinder have plastic red and black ...

It’s no bigger than a drinking glass, and it fits easily in the palm of the hand. It resembles a pepper grinder—or perhaps a hand grenade. The diminutive “Curta” is a striking machine, a mechanical ...

The mechanical marvel has an interesting history. Curt Herzstark invented it while in a Nazi concentration camp. After the war, Curta calculators were made in Liechtenstein. Production ended in the ...

If you've ever spent time thumbing through back issues of magazines like Scientific American or New Scientist, you may have seen adverts for the Curta – a strange little device that resembles a pepper ...