Computer history - 1939

Updated: 10/18/2022 by Computer Hope

Major computer events in 1939

Hewlett Packard logo

Hewlett-Packard was founded by William Hewlett and David Packard in 1939. The name was decided with the flip of a coin toss, and the company was officially founded on January 1, 1939.

Computer and technology-related events in 1939

In August 1939, at the age of 13, Carl Petri invented "Petri nets," directed graphs for the purpose of describing chemical processes.

Iowa State College's John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry created a prototype of the binary-based ABC (Atanasoff-Berry Computer) in 1939.

Atanasoff-Berry Computer - ABC

George Stibitz completed the Complex Number Calculator in 1939 capable of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing complex numbers. This device provided a foundation for digital computers.

Toshiba logo

The companies Tanaka Seisakusho and Hakunetsusha merged in 1939 to become the new company we now know as Toshiba.

The first Radio Shack catalog was published in 1939.

In 1939, the German military commissioned Konrad Zuse to build the Z2, which was largely based on the Z1.

The first successful modern typewriter is considered to be the Underwood typewriter that sold five million of its typewriters by 1939.

Computer pioneers born in 1939

Adam Osborne

Adam Osborne was born on March 6, 1939.

Dov Frohman was born on March 28, 1939.

John Scully was born on April 6, 1939.

Rudolf Bayer was born on May 7, 1939.

Anatoliy O. Morozov was born on May 9, 1939.

Peter Grunberg was born on May 18, 1939.

Cleve Moler was born on August 17, 1939.

Craig Barrett was born on August 29, 1939.

Charles Geschke was born on September 11, 1939.

John Hopcroft was born on October 7, 1939.

Neil Sloane was born on October 10, 1939.

Barbara Liskov was born on November 7, 1939.

Stephen Cook was born on December 14, 1939.

Paul Cress was born in 1939.

« 1938 - Computer History - 1940 »