John Vincent Atanasoff

John Vincent Atanasoff
Atanasoff, John Vincent
John Atanasoff

   <person> John Vincent Atanasoff, 1903-10-04 - 1995-06-15.  An
   American mathemetical physicist, and the inventor of the
   electronic {digital computer}.  Between 1937 and 1942 he built
   the {Atanasoff-Berry Computer} with {Clifford Berry}, at the
   {Iowa State University}.

   Atanasoff was born on 1903-10-04 in Hamilton, New York.  In
   1925, he got a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical
   Engineering from the University of Florida.  In 1926 he
   received a Master's degree in Maths from Iowa State
   University.  He received a PhD as a theoretical physicist from
   the University of Wisconsin in 1930.

   While an associate professor of mathematics and physics at
   Iowa State University, Atanasoff began to envision a {digital}
   computational device, believing {analogue} devices to be too
   restrictive.  Whilst working on his electronic {digital
   computer}, Atanasoff was introduced to a graduate student
   named {Clifford Berry}, who helped him build the {computer}.

   The first prototype of the {Atanasoff-Berry Computer} was
   demonstrated in December 1939.  Although no patent was awarded
   for the new {computer}, in 1973 US District Judge Earl R.
   Larson declared Atanasoff the inventor of the digital computer
   (declaring the {ENIAC} patent invalid).

   Atanasoff was awarded the National Medal of {Technology} by US
   President Bush on 1990-11-13.  He died following a stroke on
   1995-06-15.

   John Vincent Atanasoff and the Birth of the Digital Computer
   (http://cs.iastate.edu/jva/jva-archive.shtml).

   ["Atanasoff Forgotten Father of the Computer", C. R.
   Mollenhoff, Iowa State University Press 1988].

   (2001-10-03)