Inventor. He received recognition in 1941 for inventing the world's first programmable computer, the Turing-Complete Z3. In 1935, he graduated from the Technische Hochschule Berlin-Charlottenburg with a degree in civil engineering and held a position with Henschel Aircraft Company after graduation. Using old movie film, he worked at his parent's home inventing a programmable computer, which can be compared to the circumstances around the invention of the Apple Computer. His first model was sold to an aircraft company but was destroyed during the Allied Army bombing of Berlin, Germany during World War II. Working in isolation, he persisted and completed a relay-based version, the Z4. He sold this product to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and it was the only working computer in continental Europe. Continuously improving his model, his last computer was released in 1961. In Munich, Germany the Deutsches Museum, which is devoted to technology, displays a replica of his Z3 as well as the original Z4. His work was largely unnoticed in Great Britain and the United States until IBM did in 1948, but now he is recognized world-wide as being a pioneer in computer programming.
Inventor. He received recognition in 1941 for inventing the world's first programmable computer, the Turing-Complete Z3. In 1935, he graduated from the Technische Hochschule Berlin-Charlottenburg with a degree in civil engineering and held a position with Henschel Aircraft Company after graduation. Using old movie film, he worked at his parent's home inventing a programmable computer, which can be compared to the circumstances around the invention of the Apple Computer. His first model was sold to an aircraft company but was destroyed during the Allied Army bombing of Berlin, Germany during World War II. Working in isolation, he persisted and completed a relay-based version, the Z4. He sold this product to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and it was the only working computer in continental Europe. Continuously improving his model, his last computer was released in 1961. In Munich, Germany the Deutsches Museum, which is devoted to technology, displays a replica of his Z3 as well as the original Z4. His work was largely unnoticed in Great Britain and the United States until IBM did in 1948, but now he is recognized world-wide as being a pioneer in computer programming.
Bio by: Bonnie Fortney- Wichita, Kansas
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