Shannon, Claude Elwood (1916–2001), was an American mathematician and computer scientist whose theories laid the groundwork for all forms of digital electronic communication. Shannon realized that words, sounds, and images could all be represented using a binary code, a simple language consisting of only two symbols.
Shannon was born on April 30, 1916, in Petoskey, Michigan, and grew up in nearby Gaylord. In 1936, he received bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics from the University of Michigan. In 1940, Shannon received both a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His master’s thesis explained how electrical switching circuits could automatically carry out Boolean logic, which solves problems by manipulating the two symbols 0 and 1. Ideas set forth in this paper are vital to the design of modern computers.
In 1941, Shannon became a research mathematician at Bell Laboratories, a private research complex in New Jersey. Shannon’s paper “A Mathematical Theory of Communication” was published in Bell’s technical journal in 1948 and was published in book form the next year. It is still considered the foundation of information theory. In 1957, Shannon joined the faculty at MIT, where he taught until he retired in 1978.
Shannon was also a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science that involves the design of systems that appear to process information in a way similar to how a person thinks. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, he developed various machines that played chess against human opponents. In 1966, Shannon was awarded the National Medal of Science, the highest science award of the United States government. In 1983, he received the John Fritz Medal, which many consider the most prestigious award in American engineering. He died on Feb. 24, 2001.
See also Digital technology.
