In 1956 Librascope released the LGP-30, a truly wild machine. It was, for the time, the most simple and cheap machine that could actually be useful. It was the size of a desk when contemporary machines took up small rooms. It plugged into a normal wall outlet while other machines requires special power feeds. It was, perhaps, the first hint of a personal computer. And at its heart was a magnetic drum that only a true programmer could love. Selected Sources:
http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/story-of-mel.html - The Story of Mel
https://sci-hub.se/10.1109/TEC.1957.5221555 - Frankel's MINAC Paper
http://www.hp9825.com/html/stan_frankel.html - A Biography of Frankel