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Born
John Atanasoff was born on October 4th, 1903 in Hamilton, New York. -
Graduated Highschool
Atanasoff graduated high school with a diploma at the age of 15. -
Graduated College
In May of 1925, Atanasoff graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering with a 4.0 GPA. -
Graduated with a Master's Degree
In June of 1926, Atanasoff graduated from Iowa State College with his master's degree in Mathematics. -
Graduated with a Ph.D.
In May of 1930, Atanasoff graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics. -
Hired as a Professor
Atanasoff was hired as an assistant professor at the Iowa State College. He assisted various mathematics and physics courses and was eventually promoted to associate professor of both mathematics and phyiscs. -
Laplaciometer
In 1936, Atanasoff built the "Laplaciometer" with Glen Murphy, at atomic physicist at Iowa State College. The Laplaciometer was a small analog calculator. -
Receives Grant
In March of 1939, Atanasoff received a grant of $650 from Iowa State College to being the construction of the first electronic digital computer. -
The ABC
In 1941, Atanasoff and Berry finished the first electronic digital computer, named the Atanasoff Berry Computer (ABC). -
Accepts position at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory
In 1942, Atanasoff left Iowa StateCollege to accept a defense-related position at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Berry also accepted a defense-related position in California. Both left the ABC behind at Iowa State College, and it was never patented. -
Promoted
Atanasoff worked at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory from 1942-1949. He was promoted to Chief of the Acoustics Division and was involved in various major projects at the time. These include developing a computer for the US Navy, and involvement in the first atomic test in the Pacific. -
Divorce/Re-Married
In 1949, Atanasoff divorced his wife Lura after drifting apart when Atanasoff accepted his position in Washington, D.C. The same year, JVA married Alice Crosby. -
The Ordnance Engineering Corporation
In 1958, JVA established The Ordnance Engineering Corporation. This corporation was a research and engineering company based out of Rockville, Maryland. -
Retirement
In 1961, JVA retired. -
Death
On June 15th, 1995, Atanasoff died of a stroke at his home in Maryland.
