1897
Max Newman is born
Maxwell Herman Alexander Newman, better known as Max Newman, is born in Chelsea, London.
A mathematician whose early work included topology and mathematical logic, Newman would later become one of Britain's most important figures in the development of electronic computing.
During the Second World War, Newman joined Bletchley Park in August 1942, where he led the section that became known as the Newmanry. His work on the German Lorenz cipher led to the development of specialised codebreaking machines, including the Heath Robinson and, ultimately, Colossus.
After the war, Newman became Fielden Professor of Mathematics at the University of Manchester. He established the Royal Society Computing Machine Laboratory, where engineers including Tom Kilburn and Frederic Williams developed the Manchester Baby — the world's first working stored-program electronic computer — in 1948.
Newman's career therefore links several major stages in British computing: wartime codebreaking, Colossus, the development of stored-program computers and the emergence of the Manchester computing school.
A mathematician whose early work included topology and mathematical logic, Newman would later become one of Britain's most important figures in the development of electronic computing.
During the Second World War, Newman joined Bletchley Park in August 1942, where he led the section that became known as the Newmanry. His work on the German Lorenz cipher led to the development of specialised codebreaking machines, including the Heath Robinson and, ultimately, Colossus.
After the war, Newman became Fielden Professor of Mathematics at the University of Manchester. He established the Royal Society Computing Machine Laboratory, where engineers including Tom Kilburn and Frederic Williams developed the Manchester Baby — the world's first working stored-program electronic computer — in 1948.
Newman's career therefore links several major stages in British computing: wartime codebreaking, Colossus, the development of stored-program computers and the emergence of the Manchester computing school.
