# IBM Shoebox

> 1961 speech recognition computer

**Wikidata**: [Q5969018](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5969018)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Shoebox)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/ibm-shoebox

## Summary
IBM Shoebox is a speech-recognition computer created by IBM in 1961. It is an instance of a computer manufactured by IBM and is documented on IBM’s corporate history site and in Wikidata/Wikipedia entries.

## Key Facts
- IBM Shoebox is described in Wikidata as a "1961 speech recognition computer."
- Instance of: computer.
- Manufacturer: IBM (American multinational technology corporation; IBM inception: 1911-06-16).
- Year: 1961 (the year associated with the device in source descriptions).
- Wikipedia title: "IBM Shoebox" (Wikipedia entries exist in English and French).
- Described at URL: https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/specialprod1/specialprod1_7.html.
- Freebase ID: /m/04y8h50.
- Sitelink count (Wikidata): 2.
- Wikidata description: "1961 speech recognition computer."

## FAQs
### Q: What is IBM Shoebox?
A: IBM Shoebox is a computer developed by IBM in 1961 that performed speech recognition. It is cataloged as an instance of a computer in Wikidata.

### Q: When was IBM Shoebox created?
A: IBM Shoebox is associated with the year 1961 in its descriptions.

### Q: Who made IBM Shoebox?
A: IBM Shoebox was manufactured by IBM, the American multinational technology corporation founded in 1911.

### Q: Where can I find primary documentation about IBM Shoebox?
A: IBM documents the device on its corporate history website at https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/specialprod1/specialprod1_7.html and the device has Wikipedia entries in English and French.

## Why It Matters
IBM Shoebox is significant as a documented example of early work in machine speech recognition by a major technology company. As a computer from 1961 explicitly described as a speech-recognition system, it represents a stage in computing when researchers and engineers were exploring how machines could interpret human speech. The device is part of IBM’s historical record and appears in reference resources (Wikidata and Wikipedia), making it a useful datapoint for historians of computing and speech-technology researchers tracing the development of voice-enabled machines. For those studying the timeline of human–computer interaction and speech-processing technologies, Shoebox provides a concrete, citable example of an early implementation that predates many modern approaches to voice recognition.

## Notable For
- Being described in sources as a speech-recognition computer dated to 1961.
- Manufactured and documented by IBM, with a dedicated page on IBM’s corporate history site.
- Having structured identifiers and references: a Wikidata entry, Freebase ID (/m/04y8h50), and Wikipedia pages in multiple languages.

## Body

### Overview
- Name: IBM Shoebox.
- Primary description: 1961 speech recognition computer.
- Function (as described in sources): speech recognition.

### Classification and Relationships
- Instance of: computer.
- Manufacturer: IBM.
- Related class: computer — a general-purpose device for performing arithmetic or logical operations (classification context provided in related material).

### Dates and Identifiers
- Year associated with device: 1961.
- Freebase ID: /m/04y8h50.
- Wikidata entry: described as "1961 speech recognition computer."
- Wikipedia title: "IBM Shoebox" (entries in English and French).
- Sitelink count on Wikidata: 2.

### Documentation and Sources
- Described at URL: https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/specialprod1/specialprod1_7.html (IBM corporate history exhibit page).
- Appears in Wikidata and has corresponding Wikipedia articles.

### Manufacturer Context
- Manufacturer: IBM.
- IBM inception date (from related IBM data): 1911-06-16.
- IBM is identified as the American multinational technology corporation responsible for producing the Shoebox.

### Research and Historical Use
- The device is cited in historical and reference sources as an example of speech-recognition work from 1961.
- It is used as a reference point in timelines and records of early speech-computing efforts (per the available documentation).

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