Edmund Berkeley
Encyclopedia
Edmund Callis Berkeley was an American computer scientist who co-founded the Association for Computing Machinery
(ACM) in 1947. He was also a social activist who worked to achieve conditions that might minimize the threat of nuclear war.
at Prudential Insurance from 1934–48, except for service in the United States Navy
during World War II
.
Berkeley saw George Stibitz
's calculator at Bell Laboratories in 1939, and the Harvard Mark I
in 1942. In November, 1946 he drafted a specification for "Sequence Controlled Calculators for the Prudential", which led to signing a contract with the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation
in 1947 for one of the first UNIVAC
computers. Berkeley left Prudential in 1948 to become an independent consultant when the company forbade him to work on projects related to avoiding nuclear war, even on his own time. He sometimes wrote using the pseudonym "Neil D. MacDonald".
He became famous in 1949 with the publication of his book Giant Brains, or Machines That Think in which he described the principles behind computing machines (called then "mechanical brains", "sequence-controlled calculators", or various other terms), and then gave a technical but accessible survey of the most prominent examples of the time, including machines from MIT, Harvard, the Moore School, Bell Laboratories, and elsewhere.
In Giant Brains, Berkeley also outlined the first personal computer
, Simon
. Plans on how to build this computer were published in the journal Radio Electronics
in 1950 and 1951. Simon used relay logic and cost about $600 to construct. The first working model was built at Columbia University with the help of two graduate students.
Berkeley founded, published and edited Computers and Automation, thought to be the first computer magazine. He also created the Geniac
and Brainiac toy computers.
In 1958 Berkeley joined the Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy (SANE).
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
(ACM) in 1947. He was also a social activist who worked to achieve conditions that might minimize the threat of nuclear war.
Biography
Berkeley received a BA in Mathematics and Logic from Harvard in 1930. He pursued a career as an insurance actuaryActuary
An actuary is a business professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries provide expert assessments of financial security systems, with a focus on their complexity, their mathematics, and their mechanisms ....
at Prudential Insurance from 1934–48, except for service in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Berkeley saw George Stibitz
George Stibitz
George Robert Stibitz is internationally recognized as one of the fathers of the modern digital computer...
's calculator at Bell Laboratories in 1939, and the Harvard Mark I
Harvard Mark I
The IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator , called the Mark I by Harvard University, was an electro-mechanical computer....
in 1942. In November, 1946 he drafted a specification for "Sequence Controlled Calculators for the Prudential", which led to signing a contract with the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation
Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation
The Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation was founded by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, and was incorporated on December 22, 1947. After building the ENIAC at the University of Pennsylvania, Eckert and Mauchly formed EMCC to build new computer designs for commercial and military applications...
in 1947 for one of the first UNIVAC
UNIVAC I
The UNIVAC I was the first commercial computer produced in the United States. It was designed principally by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, the inventors of the ENIAC...
computers. Berkeley left Prudential in 1948 to become an independent consultant when the company forbade him to work on projects related to avoiding nuclear war, even on his own time. He sometimes wrote using the pseudonym "Neil D. MacDonald".
He became famous in 1949 with the publication of his book Giant Brains, or Machines That Think in which he described the principles behind computing machines (called then "mechanical brains", "sequence-controlled calculators", or various other terms), and then gave a technical but accessible survey of the most prominent examples of the time, including machines from MIT, Harvard, the Moore School, Bell Laboratories, and elsewhere.
In Giant Brains, Berkeley also outlined the first personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, Simon
Simon (computer)
Simon was the name given to the first "personal computer" of history, a project developed by Edmund Berkeley and presented in a thirteen articles series issued in Radio-Electronics magazine, from October 1950...
. Plans on how to build this computer were published in the journal Radio Electronics
Radio electronics
*For the magazine, see Radio-ElectronicsRadio electronics is the sub-field of electrical engineering concerning itself with the class of electronic circuits which receive or transmit radio signals....
in 1950 and 1951. Simon used relay logic and cost about $600 to construct. The first working model was built at Columbia University with the help of two graduate students.
Berkeley founded, published and edited Computers and Automation, thought to be the first computer magazine. He also created the Geniac
Geniac
Geniac was an educational toy billed as a "computer" designed and marketed by Edmund Berkeley from 1955 through the 1960s. The name stood for "Genius Almost-automatic Computer."...
and Brainiac toy computers.
In 1958 Berkeley joined the Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy (SANE).
Books
- Giant Brains, or Machines That Think (1949), Wiley & Sons
- Computers: Their Operation and Applications (1956), New York: Reinhold Publishing
- Symbolic Logic and Intelligent Machines (1959), New York: Reinhold Publishing
- Probability and Statistics: An Introduction through Experiments (1961), Science Materials Center
- The Computer Revolution (1962), Doubleday
- The Programming Language LISP: Its Operation and Applications (1964)
- A Guide to Mathematics for the Intelligent Nonmathematician (1966), Simon and Schuster
- Computer-assisted Explanation: A Guide to Explaining: and some ways of using a computer to assist in clear explanation (1967), Information International
- Ride the East Wind; Parables of Yesterday and Today (1973), Quadrangle, ISBN 0-81290375-7
- The Computer Book of Lists and First Computer Almanack (1984), Reston Publishing, ISBN 0-83590864-X
External links
- Biography and archive at Charles Babbage InstituteCharles Babbage InstituteThe Charles Babbage Institute is a research center at the University of Minnesota specializing in the history of information technology, particularly the history since 1935 of digital computing, programming/software, and computer networking....
of University of MinnesotaUniversity of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557... - Obituary in Communications of the ACM (1988) (access restricted)
- Berkeley timeline Retrieved April 10, 2007