ERNIE 1, the first Premium Bonds random number generator, was technically groundbreaking. He was also much-loved: launched by Harold Macmillan in 1956, Premium Bonds quickly became seen as a secure way to save, and a good way of winning big money – ERNIE's association with them led to greater public faith in machines. Draws were televised, with millions of people tuning in to see if ERNIE would spit out their numbers, and everyone from celebrity to nobody wanted to visit and pose with him. Anthropomorphised by the public, he even received his own fan mail.

ERNIE (Electric Random Number Indicator Equipment) was the 'son of' Colossus, built at the same place and by some of the same engineers as the famous WWII code breaking computer. Technically groundbreaking, ERNIE ran for 16 years before being replaced by the first of three successors; although not strictly a computer as he doesn't 'compute' and isn't programmable, technologies were used in ERNIE that later became commonplace in computing and telecommunications. ERNIE takes his rightful place in the Science Museum's History of Computing gallery on 26 June, accompanied by photographs and posters from the launch of the Bonds and a selection of the cards and poems addressed to him by an affectionate public.

ERNIE is in the History of Computing gallery at the Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2DD. The museum is free to enter and open daily from 10am - 6pm. For more details ring 0870 870 4868 or visit www.sciencemuseum.org.uk.