9 May
2023
9 May
'23
8:52 p.m.
On Tue, May 9, 2023 at 1:03 PM steve shumaker via cctalk <
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
A mostly similar variation has it that they shipped
the unit via Railway
Express Agency (remember REA??) and as the story goes, it was in
transit when REA closed their doors unexpectedly and with no warning,
went bankrupt.
I don't believe I ever heard that story. Then again, I'm not sure where I
got "UPS" from. Perhaps just an assumption on my part.
I'm too young to remember REA, let alone having ever even heard of it.
Interestingly, there is a tidbit in the REA Stupidpedia article about the
Altair 8800 prototype:
*In November 1975, REA Express terminated operations and filed for
bankruptcy. During the railroad strike of October 1974, the first Altair
8800 microcomputer was lost. It had been shipped from Albuquerque to
Popular Electronics magazine in New York via REA and never arrived.*
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_Express_Agency
Very interesting. So it's now more plausible that a former REA employee
might have the prototype stuffed away in their garage somewhere.
Sellam