A tool that was first operable with NASA records in 1966, and which became commercially available in 1972, is DIALOG.  The IEEE recently awarded the DIALOG Online Search System with a Milestone based on what I documented on this webpage.  A vast array of data not accessible via the Internet is available for searching via the paid service ProQuest Dialog - you literally get what you pay for, with access to medical research, scholarly papers, etc., that will never be posted for free on the Internet.  The USPTO uses this tool as part of its prior art searches for patent applications.

The citation for what will be cast in a pair of bronze plaques (at some point in the coming year, to be placed at Lockheed and at the Computer History Museum) is here:

DIALOG Online Search System, 1966
DIALOG was the first interactive, online search system addressing large databases while allowing iterative refinement of results. DIALOG was developed at Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory in 1966, extended through contracts with NASA, and offered commercially in 1972. Its speed, ease of use, and wide range of data content attracted professional users worldwide including scientists, attorneys, educators and librarians. DIALOG preceded major Internet search tools by more than two decades.

I highlighted the last sentence because of its relevance to this thread, and there is a wealth of info included on the above linked webpage.  This tool has always allowed iterative searches (also highlighted), a unique feature at the time, and which made it a particularly effective tool from the time of its inception.
_________________________
Brian A. Berg / bberg@StanfordAlumni.org
Berg Software Design
14500 Big Basin Way, Suite F, Saratoga, CA 95070 USA
Voice: 408.741.5010 / Cell: 408.568.2505
Consulting: Flash Memory/USB/Storage/Patents
visit the Storage Cornucopia: www.bswd.com
FMS Technical Chair: www.FlashMemorySummit.com
IEEE Milestone Coordinator for Region 6
IEEE SCV Section Past Chair / IEEE-CNSV Board Director



On Sun, Dec 2, 2018 at 9:14 AM Julie Cohn <cohnconnor@gmail.com> wrote:
James and Bill -

I’ve mentioned your project to a friend who has been a long-time writer for Texas Monthly, the New York Times, and other publications. She is going to provide me with some contact information later this week. I’ll message you off-list with details.

Great idea for a project!

-Julie

*****************************
Julie Cohn, Ph.D.
Research Historian, Center for Public History
University of Houston, 315 McElhinney Hall
Houston, TX 77204-3007
cohnconnor@gmail.com

Author: The Grid: Biography of an American Technology (MIT Press, 2017)
https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/grid





On Dec 1, 2018, at 8:42 AM, James Cortada <jcortada@umn.edu> wrote:

Bill Aspray and I are exploring how fact checking was done between the early 1950s and the mid-1990s using computers and networks, that is to say, before the wide use of the Internet, snopes, Wiki etc. If you are aware of specific examples, or documentation, about this use of computing, please let us know. We are interested in all manner of fact checking, not limiting it to press challenges of statements by politicians, hoaxes, and faulty scientific research.  Thanks for your help.

--
James W. Cortada
Senior Research Fellow
Charles Babbage Institute
University of Minnesota
608-274-6382
_______________________________________________
This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org

_______________________________________________
This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org