The young folks on the List, who weren't around in the 1950s, may find it interesting to read of IBM's development of tape technology, and a thumbnail history of their tape products:
"Fifty years of IBM innovation with information storage on magnetic
tape"
http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/rd/474/bradshaw.html
http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/rd/474/bradshaw.pdf
