Hard Disk Drive

Hello. My name is Hard Disk Drive, but you can call me the computer’s memory keeper. Have you ever wondered where your computer keeps all its special treasures. Like your favorite drawings, the fun games you play, or pictures of your family. That’s my job. I hold onto all of those things, even when the computer is turned off and sleeping. Without me, the computer would forget everything as soon as you turned it off. Imagine having to start your game all over again every single time. I make sure that never happens. You can think of me as a magical library hidden inside the computer. Instead of books, I have shiny, spinning platters that hold all the stories, pictures, and songs. These platters whirl around super fast, and a tiny little arm reads them like a super-fast reader finding the right page in a book. It’s my special way of remembering everything for you.

My story begins a long, long time ago, even before your parents were born. I was born in a big, busy workshop at a company called IBM. The special day was September 13th, 1956. A team of very smart inventors worked together to create me. Their leader was a kind man with clever ideas named Reynold B. Johnson. He and his team spent many days and nights figuring out how to make a computer that could remember things all by itself. When I first came into the world, I was not small and quiet like I am today. Oh, no. I was a giant. I was as big as two refrigerators standing side-by-side. I was so heavy that it took a special airplane to move me from one place to another. Inside my huge metal box, I had fifty shiny platters, each as big as a pizza. They would spin and spin, and a special arm would move back and forth to read and write memories on them. Even though I was enormous, my memory wasn't very big back then. Can you believe that with all that size, I could only hold about one or two of your favorite songs. It’s true. People were still so excited. 'Wow.' they would say. 'This machine can remember things.' I felt so proud to be helping them. I knew it was just the beginning of my journey to help people all over the world keep their important information safe.

As the years went by, the inventors kept working on me. They were like my helpful parents, always trying to make me better. They found ways to make me smaller and smaller. I went from being as big as two refrigerators to the size of a shoebox, then a book, and then something so tiny it could fit right in your pocket. It was like a magic shrinking trick. But as I got smaller on the outside, something amazing happened on the inside. My memory got bigger and bigger. Instead of holding just one song, I could suddenly hold thousands. Then I could hold movies, whole photo albums, and all the video games you could ever want to play. I became the treasure chest for everyone's digital world. All your school projects, your favorite shows, and the pictures from your birthday party are all tucked away safely with me. I am so happy that I get to be the keeper of so many wonderful memories. From my giant beginning to my pocket-sized self today, my job has always been the same: to remember. I love knowing that I help you save your amazing creations and your happiest moments, keeping them safe for you to enjoy whenever you want.