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John Warner Backus
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John Warner Backus

American mathematician
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Quick Facts
Born:
Dec. 3, 1924, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.
Died:
March 17, 2007, Ashland, Ore. (aged 82)
Inventions:
FORTRAN
Subjects Of Study:
ALGOL
FORTRAN
See all related content

John Warner Backus (born Dec. 3, 1924, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.—died March 17, 2007, Ashland, Ore.) was an American computer scientist and mathematician who led the team that designed FORTRAN (formula translation), the first important algorithmic language for computers. Restless as a young man, Backus found his niche in mathematics, earning a B.S. (1949) and an M.A. (1950) from Columbia University in New York City. He joined the computer manufacturer International Business Machines (IBM) in 1950. Tired of laborious hand coding, he was granted permission to assemble a team at IBM that would work on improving efficiency. His small group at ...(100 of 189 words)

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