In science and technology, as in many other areas, progress is often not achieved by one person acting in isolation. The noted English polymath Isaac Newton probably summarized this idea best in a letter to fellow scientist Robert Hooke in 1675, when he stated: “As I have seen further [than others]., it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.’ When it comes to credit and attribution, however, it’s not that simple.
For example, who invented the digital computer? It seems like a simple, straight forward question that probably calls for an equally simple answer. But the answer will likely be debated for a long time, because there are different answers depending on who you talk to. One of the answers is John Vincent Atanasoff (JVA).
JVA, born in 1903, was the son of John Atanasoff (you read that right, father and son have the same name) and Iva Lucena Purdy. From the beginning, JVA bright attended grade school in a two-room schoolhouse in what was then a newly incorporated town called Brewster. JVA’s studies in middle and high school were at an accelerated pace, so much so that he received his high school diploma at the age of 15.
Early encouragement
Both his parents encouraged him to pursue a wide range of interests and it contributed to his inventive personality. If his father was responsible for his fascination with calculating devices (he gifted JVA a slide rule with which JVA began solving math problems), his mother ensured that he understood number bases other than base 10 (and thus an early initiation into base 2 or binary mathematics). These early exposures later played an important role in JVA’s invention of an electronic digital computer.
After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Florida in 1925, he accepted a teaching fellowship from Iowa State College, despite receiving numerous offers, including one from Harvard. The reason for this choice was both the institution’s reputation in the field of engineering and sciences, and the fact that this was the first offer he had received.
JVA received his master’s degree from Iowa in 1926 and received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Wisconsin. His dissertation had given him first-hand experience with serious computing. By the time he returned to Iowa State College in 1930, he was determined to make better computing machines.
Even as he moved up the academic ladder, JVA’s research continued to expose him to complex mathematical problems for which there were no efficient methods of solution. Realizing that the accuracy of analog mathematical devices was compromised due to the interdependence of the machine’s parts, JVA turned to digital devices. Of course, the term “digital” itself was not used in this regard during the time of JVA. He simply contrasted the analog devices with another class of devices that he called “proprietary computing machines.”
What matters is the drive
By the winter months of 1937, JVA’s obsession with finding a solution to the computer problem had reached a fever pitch. Frustrated with his lack of progress, he got into his car one evening and started driving with no destination in mind. Even as he stopped for a drink after driving more than 200 miles at an Illinois roadhouse, he was still thinking about the machine. However, he realized that he was no longer agitated and stressed, and his thoughts quickly fell into place.
A replica of the Atanasoff Berry Computer at Durham Center, Iowa State University. | Photo credit: Manop / Wikimedia Commons
As he came up with ideas for building this computer, he started writing them down on a napkin. Four main ideas emerged that evening: using electricity and electronics for the computer’s media to give it speed; use of a binary number system to simplify the calculation process; use of regenerative memory to reduce machine construction costs; and use of direct logical action as opposed to enumeration to increase accuracy. These four ideas were instrumental in establishing JVA as the inventor and later of the Atanasoff Berry Computer as the first court electronic digital computer.
His ideas helped him receive a $650 grant from Iowa State College in 1939 and he went to work building his computer. When JVA asked Professor Harold Anderson – an electrical engineering professor and one of his closest friends – if he could recommend a graduate student from his department to help him with the project, Anderson didn’t think twice before suggesting Clifford Edward Berry. When Clifford expressed his interest and they discussed the possibilities, it was clear to JVA that this astute student, who had already impressed many with his brilliance, would be a good fit.
The duo got to work and the initial demonstrations earned them additional funding to build a full-scale machine. From 1939 to 1941 they developed and improved their device, which later became known as the Atanasoff Berry Computer (ABC). The war came and in 1942 both JVA and Clifford had to leave. However, the patenting of the ABC was not completed, despite the fact that Iowa State College hired a patent attorney.
ABC destroyed
During one of its visits to Iowa in 1948, JVA was shocked to discover that the ABC had been dismantled and only a few parts had been saved. What’s even worse was that neither he nor Clifford were even informed that the computer was about to be destroyed.
In the years following World War II, JVA learned from both the industry and certain individuals that the builders of the ENIAC held patents on elements of computer design that actually belonged to him and ABC. It took JVA years to take action on the patent issues, but two events were crucial for him to finally become actively interested: Clifford’s sudden, unexpected death in 1963; and a 1966 book that made a strong case for ABC as the first electronic digital computer.
At that time, the ENIAC patents were held by Sperry Rand Corporation, and JVA worked with Honeywell Corporation for several years in challenging these patents. The Honeywell vs Sperry Rand lawsuit was filed in May 1967 and the trial began in June 1971. On October 19, 1973, the verdict came in favor of JVA when the judge ruled that the “fundamental ENIAC ideas were derived from Atanasoff and that the invention claimed in ENIAC was derived from Atanasoff.”
Although the ruling was in his favor, it took some time for JVA to become famous. This was because the verdict was handed down at a time when President Richard Nixon was making headlines for the Watergate scandal. In the years and decades since, JVA has earned its place in the echelons of greatness thanks to its advancements in computing. Clifford is recognized as co-inventor of the ABC, and many of the concepts underlying the ABC’s operation remain fundamental to the devices we use even today.
Did you know?
A sculpture in Sofia, Bulgaria, honoring JVA. | Photo credit: Matti Blume / Wikimedia Commons
JVA’s father, John Atanasoff, was a Bulgarian immigrant named Ivan Atanasov (which should explain why Bulgaria celebrates JVA). When he arrived in the US with an uncle in 1889, immigration officials at Ellis Island changed his name to John Atanasoff!
JVA also had a son named John, who is still called JVA II. That makes it three generations in the family with the same first and last name.
Published – Oct 19, 2025 00:21 IST
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