John george kemeny (1)

John G. Kemeny

By joemartin5
  • Graduated George Washington High School

    Graduated George Washington High School

    Graduated top of class.
  • Period: to

    Time at Princeton

    Worked as Albert Einstein's assistant during graduate school.
  • Worked on Manhattan Project

    Worked on Manhattan Project

    Los Alamos National Laboratory, boss was Richard Feynman.
  • Doctoral Dissertation

    Doctoral Dissertation

    "Type-Theory vs set-theory" Also graduated from Princeton with PhD in mathematics.
  • Appointed Professor at Dartmouth

    Appointed Professor at Dartmouth

    Held position until 1967, worked in curriculum development.
  • Wrote Introduction to Finite Mathematics

    Wrote Introduction to Finite Mathematics

    With Gerald L. Thompson and Laurie Snell
  • Wrote Finite Mathematical Structures

    Wrote Finite Mathematical Structures

    Inspired other colleges to create Finite Textbooks series
  • Invented the BASIC programming language

    Invented the BASIC programming language

    Worked with Thomas E. Kurtz and Mary Kenneth Keller, designed it for ease of use for non-scientific students. Didn't require custom software.
  • Created Dartmouth Time-Sharing System

    Created Dartmouth Time-Sharing System

    First large-scale time-sharing system, allowed for the simultaneous users. By 1965, the system could support 40 simultaneous users.
  • Dartmouth Time-Sharing System hits 2000 daily users

    Dartmouth Time-Sharing System hits 2000 daily users

    80% of students and 70% of faculty used it each year, and it had 79 terminals over the state of NY.
  • American Federation of Information Processing Societies Award

    American Federation of Information Processing Societies Award

    Received with Kurtz, awarded for their work on Basic and time-sharing. BASIC was the language used in most software throughout the 1980s.
  • Co-founder of True BASIC

    Co-founder of True BASIC

    cofounded with Kurtz, marketed True BASIC as an updated version of BASIC. Hardware-independent language with the possibility to write recursive functions.
  • Microsoft Releases Visual Basic

    Microsoft Releases Visual Basic

    A combination of the Ruby programmable form system with the Basic Language, allowing the development of GUI applications. Still supported today.
  • Dartmouth Time-Sharing System Shutdown

    Dartmouth Time-Sharing System Shutdown

    Lasted several generations of computers including Mark II for General Electric
  • Historical Marker in Hanover, New Hampshire

    Historical Marker in Hanover, New Hampshire

    Recognized as the creator of "the first user-friendly programming language."