Tag: Pioneers in Tech

Pioneers in Tech: Taher Elgamal, father of SSL

Pioneers in Tech: Taher Elgamal, father of SSL

Since 2017, April has been recognized as Arab American Heritage Month, with the Biden administration recognizing the heritage month for the first time at the federal level in 2022. Chances are you have purchased something online in the past week....

/ April 14, 2023
Pioneers in Tech: Adele Goldberg, graphical user interface guru

Pioneers in Tech: Adele Goldberg, graphical user interface guru

“Behind every great man is a great woman.” No conversation about the success of Apple would be complete without a nod to the work of Adele Goldberg, a computer scientist and early pioneer in the world of graphical user interfaces...

/ March 10, 2023
Pioneers in Tech: Roy L. Clay, the black godfather of Silicon Valley

Pioneers in Tech: Roy L. Clay, the black godfather of Silicon Valley

The technology chapter of any Black history textbook would have to start with the life story of this week’s “Pioneers in Tech”, Roy L. Clay. After, he has more than earned the moniker the “Black Godfather of Silicon Valley.”

/ February 10, 2023
Pioneers in Tech: Guido van Rossum, creator of the Python Programming Language

Pioneers in Tech: Guido van Rossum, creator of the Python Programming Language

Happy early birthday to this month’s ‘Pioneers in Tech’ spotlight, Guido van Rossum, born Jan. 31, 1956, in the Netherlands, and creator of the Python programming language. Until 2018, he was known as Python’s “Benevolent Dictator for Life (BDFL),” a...

/ January 13, 2023
Pioneers in Tech: John Backus makes programming accessible with FORTRAN

Pioneers in Tech: John Backus makes programming accessible with FORTRAN

If you ever feel like the chips are down, consider the story of A.M. Turing Award recipient John Backus, who overcame academic difficulties, expulsion due to poor attendance, and a cranial bone tumor to develop the ground-breaking FORTRAN programming language....

/ December 9, 2022
Pioneers in Tech: George Boole, Mathematician AND Innovator

Pioneers in Tech: George Boole, Mathematician AND Innovator

You’ve heard of Boolean algebra and Boolean logic, and you know the Boolean system forms the basis for the modern digital computer. But you probably don’t know much about George Boole, the man himself, described as “one of the great...

/ November 11, 2022
Pioneers in Tech: The answer to the security question is “Fernando Corbáto”

Pioneers in Tech: The answer to the security question is “Fernando Corbáto”

This year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month theme—“See Yourself in Cyber”—encourages computer users of all types to focus on the personal role they play in protecting themselves online. After all, if your go-to password is “password,” no mitigation measure will be effective.

/ October 14, 2022
Pioneers in Tech: Charles Simonyi, the brain behind Word and Excel

Pioneers in Tech: Charles Simonyi, the brain behind Word and Excel

It’s estimated at least 1.2 billion people worldwide use Microsoft Office products. The tech pioneer behind the flagship Office programs Word and Excel is the fascinating Charles Simonyi, whose Microsoft success has enabled him to become the first repeat space...

/ September 9, 2022
Pioneers in Tech: Mina Rees, a mid-century technology trailblazer

Pioneers in Tech: Mina Rees, a mid-century technology trailblazer

Like so many “pioneers in tech,” Mina Rees did not let much dissuade her from her ultimate goals. Born Aug. 2, 1902, in Cleveland, Ohio, Rees grew up in New York City. After graduating summa cum laude from Hunter College...

/ August 12, 2022
Pioneers in Tech: Happy birthday to “Killer App” creator Dan Bricklin

Pioneers in Tech: Happy birthday to “Killer App” creator Dan Bricklin

Spreadsheet jockeys of the world, be sure to raise a glass this weekend to toast Dan Bricklin, born July 16, 1951, the co-creator of VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet program for personal computers.

/ July 15, 2022