1938-

American Mathematician and Computer Scientist

Donald E. Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming, published in 1968, became the authoritative textbook in the subject during the 1970s. But just as computers have evolved, so has Knuth's monumental text: the fourth of a planned seven-volume series was published in 1995. As a mathematician and computer scientist, Knuth has established a number of key ideas in both fields, and has developed a pair of computer languages, TEX and METAFONT.

Born on January 10, 1938, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Knuth was the son of Ervin and Louise Bohning Knuth. His father was the first college graduate in the history of the family, and worked first as a grade-school teacher before taking a position as a bookkeeping teacher at a private Lutheran high school. From his father, Knuth learned an appreciation not only for learning in general, but for mathematics—and music—in...