Its name was selected with reference to a lyrical acronym from Greek mythology—ORACLE, defined as 'a shrine in which a deity reveals hidden knowledge.'Assembled before the development of transistors and microchips, the ORACLE was a large scientific digital computer that used vacuum tubes.The computer also contained a magnetic-tape auxiliary memory and an on-line cathode-tube plotter, a recorder, and a typewriter.Operational in 1954, for a time the ORACLE had the fastest speed and largest data storage capacity of any computer in the world.Problems that would have required two mathematicians with electric calculators three years to solve could be done on the ORACLE in 20 minutes.