Howard Hathaway Aiken (March 8, 1900 – March 14, 1973) was an American physicist and a pioneer in computing, being the original conceptual designer behind IBM's Harvard Mark I computer.[1]
Biography
Aiken studied at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and later obtained his Ph.D. in physics at Harvard University in 1939.[2][3] During this time, he encountered differential equations that he could only solve numerically. Inspired by Charles Babbage's difference engine, he envisioned an electro-mechanical computing device that could do much of the tedious work for him. This computer was originally called the ASCC (Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator) and later renamed Harvard Mark I. With engineering, construction, and funding from IBM, the machine was completed and installed at Harvard in February 1944.[4]Richard Milton Bloch, Robert Campbell and Grace Hopper joined the project later as programmers.[5] In 1947, Aiken completed his work on the Harvard Mark II computer. He continued his work on the Mark III and the Harvard Mark IV. The Mark III used some electronic components and the Mark IV was all-electronic. The Mark III and Mark IV used magnetic drum memory and the Mark IV also had magnetic-core memory.
In addition to his work on the Mark series, another important contribution of Aiken's was the introduction of a master's program for computer science at Harvard in 1947,[8] nearly a decade before the programs began to appear in other universities. This became a starting ground to future computer scientists, many of whom did doctoral dissertations under Aiken.
Personal life
Howard Aiken was born to Daniel Aiken and Margaret Emily Mierisch[9] and married three times: to Louise Mancill in June 1937, then later to Agnes Montgomery, and lastly to Mary McFarland. He had two children; one with his first wife, and one with his second.[10]
After he retired at age 60 to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Aiken continued his contributions to technology. He founded Howard Aiken Industries Incorporated, which was a consulting firm that helped failing businesses recover. During his years in Florida, he joined the University of Miami as a Distinguished Professor of Information. In addition, Aiken became a consultant for companies such as Lockheed Martin and Monsanto. On March 14, 1973, Aiken died during a consulting trip to St. Louis, Missouri.[11] His widow, Mary, died in 2013. He is survived by his son Clay.
^"Howard H. Aiken, Built Computer. The developer of the Mark I Dies. Was Harvard Professor. Taught Until 1961". New York Times. March 16, 1973. Retrieved May 29, 2008. Dr. Howard Hathaway Aiken, who in the late nineteen-thirties conceived the design for the world's first large-scale computer, the Mark I, in cooperation with engineers of the International Business Machines Corporation, died in his sleep early Wednesday on a visit to St. Louis. He was 73 years old and lived in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
