Look Who it Was Random video

Honoring John Blankenbaker

785 views · Published 22 March 2017 · 2:58 · Indexed 25 September 2026

Channel: Oregon State University · 2017 · Education

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Some computer manufacturers boast that their companies built the first personal computer, but according to the Computer History Museum and others, that honor actually belongs to John Blankenbaker.

Blankenbaker first attempted to design a computing device in 1949, but he abandoned the work when it became obvious to him that it would be too expensive for him to build. He completed an internship at the National Bureau of Standards, where he was assigned to the Standards Eastern Automatic Computer project, and that experience increased his belief that computers were the wave of the future.

Following graduation, Blankenbaker contributed to various computer projects for Hughes Aircraft Company while earning a master’s degree in physics from the University of California–Los Angeles. His desire to create a computer that was affordable and educational for individuals was born during those years. To round out his education, he earned a professional degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1959. 

After consulting for Curtis Wright, which was developing a digital training system for fleet ballistic missiles, he moved on to Scantlin Electronics to help streamline stock market data reporting. When he resigned from Scantlin, a $6,000 parting gift from the company gave him the seed money he needed to make his dream of building a small, affordable computer come true. By September 1971, he had sold the world’s first personal computer: the Kenbak-1.

He said that his intention was to “give the flavor of a computer” so people could learn how the technology worked. Only about 50 units were produced before Blankenbaker decided that the undertaking wasn’t profitable and sold the design.  

Mr. Blankenbaker's full profile story is available here:  
http://shopping.oregonlive.com/SS/Page.aspx?secid=162008&pagenum=1&sstarg=&facing=false&
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