Who was Kenneth E. Iverson?

In the winter of 1920, Kenneth Eugene Iverson was born just outside the small town of Camrose, in Alberta, Canada . At the height of the Great Depression he dropped out of school after just Grade 9 to help work the family farm. Despite this modest upbringing, Iverson eventually found himself at Harvard University , hard at work on a revolutionary mathematical notation. This pioneering effort would become his life’s work: the programming language APL.

Early Life

While working the farm and still out of school, Iverson self-studied calculus from a textbook. He chose not to return to school, however, because at the time he thought that further schooling would only lead to a career path as a schoolteacher. In 1942, at the age of 22, Ken Iverson was drafted into the Canadian Forces; a year later he had transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force. While in the military, he enrolled in correspondence courses offered by the Canadian Legion towards finishing his high school diploma. After his discharge in 1946, at the behest of both counselors and fellow servicemen, Iverson enrolled as an undergraduate at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario , Canada. Iverson graduated the top of his class in 1950, with a B.A. in mathematics and physics

Birth of the Notation

Upon graduating from Queen’s, Iverson continued his education at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Within his first year there, he had earned a Masters in mathematics. Following this, he entered the Department of Engineering and Applied Physics after taking a class taught by physicist Howard Aiken . His Ph.D thesis was supervised by Aiken and economist Wassily Leontief .

TODO: Aiken/Harvard Mark I/IV, matrix evaluation

TODO: Staying on as an assistant professor/birth of the notation

Career at IBM

Iverson joined IBM in 1960, where he continued to develop and promote APL. His work at IBM included projects that demonstrated APL’s capabilities in system software, education, and data analysis. Iverson retired from IBM in 1980 but remained active in the field.

Awards and Legacy

In 1979, Iverson received the Turing Award, one of the highest honors in computer science, for his work on APL. He was also elected to the National Academy of Engineering and received numerous other accolades throughout his career.

Kenneth Iverson’s legacy lives on through the continued use of APL and J. His innovative approach to programming languages has inspired countless computer scientists and educators, and his ideas remain relevant in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape.

1920

Birth

Kenneth Eugene Iverson was born on 17 December, 1920 in Camrose, Alberta, Canada. His early life in rural Alberta shaped his character and work ethic.

1920

1941

Education

Iverson received his Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. His education was interrupted by World War II, but he completed his degree with distinction.

1941

1942-1945

War Service

During World War II, Iverson served as an officer in the Royal Canadian Navy. He worked as a radar technician, an experience that developed his technical skills and attention to detail.

1942-1945

1946-1949

Graduate Studies

After the war, Iverson attended Harvard University on the G.I. Bill, where he earned a Master's degree in Physics. His thesis focused on applications of statistics in experimental physics.

1946-1949

1954

Doctorate

Iverson completed his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics at Harvard University under the supervision of Howard Aiken, a pioneer in computer science. His dissertation was on "The Automatic Interpretation of Data" and set the stage for his future work in programming languages.

1954

1955-1960

Early Career

Iverson worked as an assistant professor at Harvard University, where he taught and conducted research in computer science and mathematics. During this time, he began developing his ideas on notation and programming languages.

1955-1960

Late 1950s-1960s

APL Development

Iverson developed the APL (A Programming Language) as a tool for teaching and exploring mathematical concepts. APL's concise and powerful notation allowed for complex operations to be expressed clearly and efficiently.

Late 1950s-1960s

1962

A Programming Language

Iverson published "A Programming Language," which introduced APL to the computing community. The book was groundbreaking for its clear exposition of the language's concepts and its potential applications in various fields.

1962

1960-1980

IBM Career

Iverson joined IBM's Watson Research Center, where he continued to develop and promote APL. At IBM, he worked on various projects that showcased APL's capabilities, including system software, education, and data analysis.

1960-1980

1979

Turing Award

Iverson was awarded the Turing Award, often considered the "Nobel Prize of Computing," for his pioneering work in programming languages and his development of APL. The award recognized his significant impact on computer science.

1979

1980

Retirement

Iverson retired from IBM but remained an influential figure in the computing world. He continued to write and speak about APL, sharing his vision for its applications and advocating for its use in education and industry.

1980

1990s

J Software

In his later years, Iverson collaborated with Roger Hui to develop J, a programming language that built on the concepts of APL but used ASCII characters for easier typing and readability. J continued Iverson's legacy of powerful and concise programming languages.

1990s

2004

Death

Kenneth E. Iverson passed away on 19 October 2004 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His death marked the loss of a visionary thinker whose work had a profound impact on computer science, mathematics, and the way people think about programming.

2004

The Origins of APL - 1974

Insights from Ken Iverson and other Pioneers

A glimpse into the fascinating history of APL. This classic 1974 video features Ken Iverson, the creator of APL, along with other pioneering figures. Discover the vision behind APL, its applications, and the perspectives of those who contributed to its creation and development.

Featured in the video are: Ken Iverson : The creator of APL, whose innovative ideas and notation formed the foundation of the language. Philip S. Abrams : One of the original developers who contributed significantly to the early implementations of APL. Larry Breed : A pioneering developer involved in APL’s creation and its applications. Adin Falkoff : Known for his collaboration with Iverson, helping to refine and extend the language. Roger Moore : Another early contributor to APL’s development.

Learning

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