Clifford Edward Berry (April 19, 1918 – October 30, 1963) helped John Vincent Atanasoff create the first digital electronic computer in 1939, the Atanasoff–Berry computer (ABC).
Clifford Berry | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 19, 1918 |
| Died | October 30, 1963 (aged 45) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Iowa State College |
| Known for | Atanasoff–Berry computer |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical engineering |
| Doctoral advisor | John Vincent Atanasoff |
Biography
editClifford Berry was born April 19, 1918, in Gladbrook, Iowa, to Fred and Grace Berry.[1] His father owned an appliance repair shop, where he was able to learn about radios.[1] He graduated from Marengo High School in Marengo, Iowa, in 1934 as the class valedictorian at age 16.[2] He went on to study at Iowa State College (now known as Iowa State University), eventually earning a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1939 and followed by his master's degree in physics in 1941.[2]
In 1942, he married an ISU classmate and Atanasoff's secretary, Martha Jean Reed.[1]
By 1948, he earned his PhD in physics from Iowa State University.[2]
He died in 1963, attributed to "possible suicide".[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Famous Iowans – Clifford Berry". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2018-11-21.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c "Computer Pioneers – Clifford Edward Berry". IEEE Computer Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. 2012. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
- ^ "Computer Pioneers - Clifford Edward Berry".
External links
edit- 1942 and 1962 photos of Berry, Ames Laboratory Archive, Iowa State
- Atanasoff-Berry Computer Archive, Computer Science Dept., Iowa State
- June 7, 1972 interview with Atanasoff on Berry, Smithsonian National Museum of American History
- A. R. Mackintosh, “Dr. Atanasoff’s Computer”, Scientific American, August 1988 (Archived 2009-10-31)
- "ABC - Atanasoff-Berry Computer", I Programmer
- IEEE Computer Pioneers Biography Entry