Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

120 years since the birth of the inventor of the computer

President Radev to award winners of the John Atanasoff Presidential Award

Atanasoff was of Bulgarian origin

John Vincent Atanasoff (1903 – 1995) inventor of the Atanasoff–Berry Computer.
Photo: Archive

At a special ceremony at the Presidential Palace today, Head of State Rumen Radev will present awards to the winners of the John Atanasov Presidential Award for 2023. The award ceremony will be held on the day marking the 120th anniversary of the birth of the famous inventor of Bulgarian origin and creator of the first electronic computer with regenerative memory. The awards will be presented for the 21st time to pupils, students and young Bulgarian scientists who have shown outstanding results in the field of computer science.

John Vincent Atanasoff was born on October 4, 1903 near Hamilton, New York. His father, Ivan Atanasov, was a Bulgarian immigrant born in the village of Boyadzhik, Yambol region, then in the Ottoman Empire. Ivan's parents died in 1876, at the height of the April Uprising, so in 1889, at the age of 13, he emigrated to America with his uncle. He met John's Iva Lucena Purdy, an English teacher from upstate New York, and they got married in in 1900, following John’s graduation from Colgate College with a degree in philosophy.

Ivan and Lucena's son John became interested in mathematics and logarithms at an early age. He was later recognized as the inventor of the computer. More information on the subject can be found here.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Kristalina Georgieva calls for increasing revenues and reducing deficit

Bulgaria should focus on adopting a budget that will help it enter the eurozone, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told Nova TV. According to her, the country is on its way to solving the problem of higher inflation. The..

published on 12/20/24 8:55 AM

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives in Bulgaria at the invitation of President Radev

Bulgarian Head of State Rumen Radev will meet today at the presidency building in Sofia with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.  The Hungarian guest is visiting Bulgaria at the invitation of the Bulgarian president. Among the..

published on 12/20/24 7:10 AM

My Eco Christmas Bazaar in Sofia offers products from Bulgarian producers

My Eco Christmas Bazaar opens in Sofia today and will last for three days - until December 22. Visitors will find numerous souvenirs and accessories made from natural or recycled materials. They will be able to join craft workshops for..

published on 12/20/24 5:50 AM