Today in History 12/03 (John Backus)

Born: Dec 03, 1924 · Philadelphia, PA
Died: Mar 17, 2007 · Ashland, OR
Nationality: American
Inventions: Fortran · ALGOL · ALGOL 58 · Speedcoding · FP · FL
Education: Columbia University · University of Virginia · The Hill School
Awards: Turing Award (1977) · Charles Stark Draper Prize (1993) · National Medal of Science for Mathematics and Computer Science (1975)Highlights
- 1953: In 1953 Backus developed the language Speedcoding, the first high-level language created for an IBM computer, to aid in software development for the IBM 701 computer.
- 1954: Programming was very difficult at this time, and in 1954 Backus assembled a team to define and develop Fortran for the IBM 704 computer.
- 1967: The IEEE awarded Backus the W. W. McDowell Award in 1967 for the development of FORTRAN.
- 1975: John Backus was awarded National Medal of Science for Mathematics and Computer Science in 1975.
- 1977: John Backus was awarded Turing Award in 1977.
- 2007: John Backus died on March 17, 2007 in Ashland, United States.

FORTRAN code on a punched card, showing the specialized uses of columns 1–5, 6 and 73–80
wiki/John_Backus
(1924) Computer programming pioneer is born.
Also on this day,
1818 | Illinois becomes the 21st state in the US
Also on this day,
1818 | Illinois becomes the 21st state in the US
What will be known as the Land of Lincoln, Illinois, joins the nation as the 21st state. Although it’s technically a slave-free state, slavery will be tolerated for many years in Illinois until the state Supreme Court gradually emancipates all people living in bondage.1947 | ‘Streetcar’ opens in NYC as Brando screams, “Stella!” on Broadway and audiences rave
When the curtain falls on the first performance of Tennessee Williams’ play, ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ the audience applauds for half an hour. Epic performances will make Marlon Brando, who plays Stanley, an overnight star, and earn Jessica Tandy a Tony for her “incredibly true” portrayal of Blanche DuBois.1979 | Who concert disaster as eleven people die in a stampede outside
Excitement turns deadly as thousands of fans push their way into the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati to see the British rock band the Who. Eleven people, mostly teenagers, are suffocated as the crowd crushes onto the concourse. The band won’t learn of the deaths until after the show.
Today in History 12/03/17

Population: 12.80 million (2016)
Area: 57,915 sq miles (149,998 km²)
Governor: Bruce Rauner
Colleges and universities: University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign · Illinois State University · University of Chicago · Northwestern University · University of Illinois at Chicago · Southern Illinois University Carbondale · Northern Illinois University · Western Illinois University · Wheaton College · Eureka College · Bradley University · Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Senators: Dick Durbin · Tammy Duckworth
Capital: Springfield
Map of the United States with Illinois highlighted
wiki/Illinois