BASIC programming language debuts
On 1 May 1964, the first computer program written in BASIC was run at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Invented by two Dartmouth professors—John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz—BASIC, an acronym for Beginner’s All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, was designed to simplify computing and make computer programming accessible to all. With that idea in mind, Kemeny and Kurtz tried to use common English words with obvious meanings. Kemeny envisioned all people having access to computers and using them for such tasks as writing a letter or playing games. Variations on BASIC proliferated in the 1970s and 1980s. One of those variants was written by Bill Gates, who went on to found Microsoft. Kemeny and Kurtz have been credited with launching the open-source software movement and promoting computer literacy. (Photo credit: Dartmouth College)
Date in History: 1 May 1964
