On Sept. 13, 1956, IBM shipped the first unit of the RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control) and set in motion a process that would change the way we live.

Weighing in at about 1,000 kilograms, the 305 RAMAC (random access method of accounting and control) was the world’s most expensive jukebox. It stored 4.4 megabytes on 50 double-sided disks, ...