Reynold B. Johnson
Reynold B. Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | September 15, 1998 (aged 92) Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Inventor, engineer |
| Known for | Pioneer of the hard disk drive, automated test scoring systems, videocassette tape development |
Reynold B. Johnson (July 16, 1906 – September 15, 1998) was a pioneering American inventor and a key figure in the evolution of computing technology. Having spent much of his career at IBM, Johnson is widely recognized as the pioneer behind the hard disk drive. His inventive contributions also extend to automated test scoring systems and the development of the videocassette tape.
Biography
Johnson was born in Minnesota to parents of Swedish origin. He completed his secondary education at Minnehaha Academy in 1925 and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Educational Administration from the University of Minnesota in 1929.
During the early 1930s, while teaching science at a high school in Michigan, he created an electronic device capable of detecting pencil marks on standardized answer sheets. IBM purchased the rights to this invention and subsequently employed him as an engineer at their research facility in Endicott, New York. This device was commercialized as the IBM 805 Test Scoring Machine starting from 1937.
Johnson advanced "mark sense" technology, which transformed pencil-marked cards into punched card formats, allowing data input without the need for specialized machinery. This innovation found widespread application across various industries between the 1940s and 1960s, including use by Bell System for logging long-distance calls and utility companies for meter data collection; within federal agencies, it became known as "electrographic" technology.
In 1952, IBM designated Johnson to found and direct its West Coast Laboratory located in San Jose, California. There, he guided a team that engineered disk storage solutions, leading to the introduction of the IBM 305 RAMAC in 1956—a groundbreaking product that launched what would become a multibillion-dollar market for disk drives.
Collaborating with Sony, Johnson developed an early prototype of a half-inch videocassette tape cartridge designed specifically for educational purposes. This format was more compact than Sony’s broader tape reels, facilitating easier use and aligning with his concept of video-based learning materials for children.
Johnson retired from IBM in 1971, holding over ninety patents by that time. After retirement, he invented microphonograph technology featured in Fisher-Price's acclaimed "Talk to Me Books" and utilized by the National Audubon Society to identify bird calls. His achievements were recognized with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, awarded by President Ronald Reagan in 1986.
Established in 1991, the IEEE Reynold B. Johnson Information Storage Systems Award commemorates exceptional achievements in information storage systems on an annual basis. Additionally, Johnson was honored with the Franklin Institute's Certificate of Merit in 1996.
He died at age 92 from melanoma in Palo Alto, California in 1998.
Further reading
- Articles with short description
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- 1906 births
- 1998 deaths
- IBM Fellows
- IBM Research computer scientists
- IBM employees
- University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development alumni
- People from San Jose, California
- National Medal of Technology recipients
- 20th-century American inventors
- American people of Swedish descent
- Inventors from Minnesota