1903-1995

American Inventor, Physicist and Mathematician

It is impossible to imagine a world without computers. Computers control nearly every facet of our lives, from car air bags to airplanes, schools, businesses, and space shuttles. None of these modern marvels would have been possible without the work of John Vincent Atanasoff. He was responsible for creating the first digital computer, and with his invention, launching the modern era of computing.

Atanasoff was born on October 4, 1903, in Hamilton, New York. Early on, he became fascinated with mathematics, and was especially interested in a Dietzgen slide rule his father had bought, and the mathematical principles by which it operated. (A slide rule allows the user to perform calculations mechanically by sliding one ruler against another-both rulers are marked with graduated scales.) Atanasoff's family later moved to Florida, where he completed high school as a straight-A student.

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