Think you're good at following directions? Give these step-by-step instructions a shot

[geezer77]

I used to collect old mechanical calculators and business machines just for fun. Some time back I came across this old 1930's Monroe business calculator, which believe it or not still worked fine. I no longer have it, but this typed sheet of instructions on how to find the square root of a number was with it. I'm pretty old myself and have seen a lot of hand-typed instruction manuals for old machines, but this one pretty much took the cake for outright jaw-dropping complexity. Of course I couldn't resist trying it. The procedure actually worked, assuming you have massive patience and an hour or so to devote to finding the square root of a number. Really makes me appreciate the early HP and Texas Instruments handheld calculators of the 60's.

 

[XYZ]

I remember having to learn to use a slide rule. Then we were ‘allowed’ to use a TI40. Wow felt like we were the Jetsons.

 

[turkeyrun]

Think about, 1969, Apollo 11, Mission Control, directive has been given to figure out how long the Astronauts have and how to get them home. Everybody in the room grabs their slide rule.