Origins & Early Life

Sir Maurice Vincent Wilkes (26 June 1913 – 29 November 2010) was an English computer scientist who designed and helped build the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC), one of the earliest stored-program computers, and who invented microprogramming, a method for using stored-program logic to operate the control unit of a central processing unit's circuits. In 1967 he won the ACM Turing Award. At the time of his death, Wilkes was an Emeritus Professor at the University of Cambridge. Wilkes was born in Dudley, Worcestershire, England the only child of Ellen (Helen), née Malone (1885–1968) and Vincent Joseph Wilkes (1887–1971), an accounts clerk at the estate of the Earl of Dudley.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He grew up in Stourbridge, West Midlands, and was educated at King Edward VI College, Stourbridge. During his school years he was introduced to amateur radio by his chemistry teacher. He studied the Mathematical Tripos at St John's College, Cambridge, from 1931 to 1934, and in 1936 completed his PhD in physics on the subject of radio propagation of very long radio waves in the ionosphere. He was appointed to a junior faculty position of the University...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Albert Camus — Contemporary (Born in 1913) (1913): Philosopher and writer known for Absurdism, The Stranger, and The Plague.
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• Alexander McQueen — Contemporary (Died in 2010) (2010): Iconic British fashion designer known for theatrical, boundary-pushing collections.
• Ali Hassan al-Majid — Contemporary (Died in 2010) (2010): Notorious Iraqi military figure, cousin of Saddam Hussein, known for brutal repression.
• Allan Sandage — Contemporary (Died in 2010) (2010): Pioneering American astronomer known for determining the Hubble constant and age of the universe.
• Ahmad Sirhindi — Shared historical date (06-26 · Born) (1564): Influential Naqshbandi Sufi scholar who championed Islamic orthodoxy in the Mughal era.
• Alexander Zakharchenko — Shared historical date (06-26 · Born) (1976): Pro-Russian separatist leader and head of the Donetsk People's Republic.
• António Egas Moniz — Shared historical date (11-29 · Born) (1874): Pioneering Portuguese neurologist, developer of cerebral angiography and psychosurgery.
• Béla IV of Hungary — Shared historical date (11-29 · Born) (1206): King of Hungary and Croatia, known for rebuilding the state after Mongol devastation.
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