Computer history - 1954
Major computer events in 1954
IBM produced and marketed the IBM 650. More than 1,800 of these computers were sold in eight years, with 120 installations in the first year.
New computer products and services introduced in 1954
The first version of FORTRAN (Formula Translation) was published by IBM.
Texas Instruments announced the start of commercial production of silicon transistors.
The first commercially produced transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, was announced on October 18, 1954.
Computer and technology-related events in 1954
The USSR's Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant opened on June 27, 1954, and became the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity.
IBM became the first company to translate Russian into English using a computer.
IBM introduced its first calculating machine that used solid-state transistors instead of vacuum tubes on October 7, 1954.
Toshiba introduced its first computer, the "TAC" digital computer, in 1954.
The IBM 704 was announced. The 704 was the first commercially available computer to incorporate indexing and floating point arithmetic as standard features. The 704 also featured a magnetic core memory, far more reliable than its predecessors' cathode-ray-tube memory. A commercial success, IBM produced 123 704s between 1955 and 1960.
IBM developed and built the fastest, most powerful electronic computer of its time - the NORC (Naval Ordnance Research Computer) - for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Ordnance. The NORC was the most powerful computer of its day, and its multiplication unit remains the fastest ever built with vacuum tube technology. This computer also introduced the input-output channel. This innovation synchronizes the flow of data into and out of the computer while computation is in progress, relieving the central processor of that task. Channel technology was widely adopted throughout the industry.
Computer companies and organizations founded in 1954
Brother was founded on April 21, 1954.
CERN was established on September 29, 1954.
Commodore was founded in 1954.
Merrimac Industries was founded in 1954.
Mitsumi was founded in 1954.
Computer pioneers born in 1954
Kevin Warwick was born on February 9, 1954.
Philip Zimmerman was born on February 12, 1954.
Sidney Meier was born on February 24, 1954.
Daniel Kottke was born on April 4, 1954.
Tim O'Reilly was born on June 6, 1954.
Raymond Noorda was born on June 19, 1954.
Karlheinz Brandenburg was born on June 20, 1954.
Robert Enderle was born on July 27, 1954.
Philip Emeagwali was born on August 23, 1954.
Guy Kawasaki was born on August 30, 1954.
Henry Samueli was born on September 20, 1954.
Larry Wall was born on September 27, 1954.
Harold Prewitt was born on October 1, 1954.
Guy Steele was born on October 2, 1954.
John Ousterhout was born on October 15, 1954.
Ken Williams was born on October 30, 1954.
Scott McNealy was born on November 3, 1954.
William Joy was born on November 8, 1954.
Marc Blank was born in 1954.
Ross Ihaka was born in 1954.
Susan Kare was born in 1954.
Computer pioneer deaths in 1954
Alan Turing passed away on June 7, 1954 (Age: 41).
Emil Post passed away on April 21, 1954 (Age: 57).
Enrico Fermi passed away on November 28, 1954 (Age: 53).