John Vincent Atanasoff

John Vincent Atanasoff
Atanasoff in the 1990s
Born(1903-10-04)October 4, 1903
DiedJune 15, 1995(1995-06-15) (aged 91)
Alma materUniversity of Florida
Iowa State University
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Known forAtanasoff–Berry Computer
AwardsOrder of Saints Cyril and Methodius, First Class
Scientific career
FieldsPhysics
Doctoral advisorJ. H. V. Vleck

John Vincent Atanasoff OCM (October 4, 1903 – June 15, 1995) was an American physicist and inventor credited with inventing the first electronic digital computer.[1] Atanasoff invented the first electronic digital computer in the 1930s at Iowa State College (now known as Iowa State University). Challenges to his claim were resolved in 1973 when the Honeywell v. Sperry Rand lawsuit ruled that Atanasoff was the inventor of the computer.[2][3][4][5] His special-purpose machine has come to be called the Atanasoff–Berry Computer.

  1. ^ "Atanasoff, John Vincent". Who's Who in America 1995. Vol. 1 (A-K) (49th ed.). New Providence, NJ: Marquis Who's Who. 1994. p. 129. ISBN 0837901596. Retrieved January 22, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ Invitation to Computer Science. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  3. ^ "John Vincent Atanasoff - the father of the computer". www.columbia.edu. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  4. ^ Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  5. ^ Portraits in Silicon. Retrieved February 8, 2014.