JOHN ATANASOFF is known as the grandfather, or father, of the computer. Atanasoff (shown left) worked closely with his fellow colleague, Clifford Berry (shown right) to create the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC). The need to solve physics numerically inspired Atanasoff to design the ABC, while Berry was encouraged by his father as a child to tinker around with electricity. Both became brilliant students and worked closely to produce the ABC.
THE ATANASOFF-BERRY COMPUTER
THE ATANASOFF-BERRY COMPUTER was the first computer. Created by the engineers at Iowa State University, this computer was big enough to fill a room; it couldn't fit through a door, and therefore the original ABC could not be preserved. It was reconstructed between 1994 and 1997. The ABC was the first automatic, electronic, digital computer: an early electronic, digital computing device. It was a first for its time, and is the first of many computers to come.