John Vincent Atanasoff (October 4, 1903 - June 15, 1995) is a prominent American-Bulgarian scientist, pioneer in the field of, and an inventor of the digital electronic computer.

1925 Received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Florida. He held the distinction of receiving this grade with straight A's as an undergraduate.

1926 Master's degree in mathematics from Iowa State College.

Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Wisconsin.

Late 1930s developed the Atanasoff Berry Computer (ABC) with Clifford Berry. The ABC used binary math to solve differential equations. The ABC had no central processing unit (CPU), but it did employ vacuum tubes and other components similar to those used in later electronic computers.

In 1941 John Mauchly came to visit Atanasoff in Iowa to see the ABC. This visit and their correspondence resulted in much controversy over the who was the real inventor of the computer.

In 1970 is invited to Bulgaria by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and the Bulgarian Government conferred to him the Cyrille and Methodius Order of Merit First Class. This was his first public recognition.

Finally in 1973 a judge overturned Mauchly and associate J. Presper Eckert's patent claims to the computer.

1981 receives the Computer Pioneer Medal .

1990 President George H. W. Bush awards Atanasoff the U.S. National Medal of Technology .

Atanasoff has always emphasized on his Bulgarian roots and has been very proud that Bulgaria was the first country to recognize him as the inventor of the digital electronic computer.

See also: History of computing hardware

External links and sources

• http://www.johnatanasoff.com/
• http://www.angelfire.com/ma/kilenm/2k03ppl.html
• http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/do_Atanasoff.html
• The Atanasoff Berry Computer http://www.cs.iastate.edu/jva/jva-archive.shtml
• Obituary http://archive.comlab.ox.ac.uk/other/museums/computing/atanasoff.html