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Claude Shannon

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Scientist

The Resume

    (April 30, 1916-February 24, 2001)
    Born in Petosky, Michigan
    American mathematician, electrical engineer, cryptographer known as 'the father of information theory'
    Created the concept of information theory with the paper, 'The Mathematical Theory of Communication'
    Also founded digital design theory, invented signal-flow graphs, and proved that properly used one-time pad cryptographic devices are unbreakable
    Built a device to solve Rubik's Cube, the first artificial learning device (Shannon's Mouse), and the first computer program to play chess
    Namesake and first recipient of the Claude E. Shannon Award for contributions to information theory
    Awarded two BS Degrees, in Electrical Engineering and in Mathematics, from the University of Michigan and a master's and PhD in Electrical Engineering from MIT with his PhD dissertation titled, 'An Algebra for Theoretical Genetics'
    Distant relative of his childhood hero, Thomas Edison
    Atheist
    Namesake for the unit of measurement, the Shannon

Why he might be annoying:

    He made little money off his inventions.
    No ego problems here!
    Despite being describing apolitical, he worked for the American War Department during WWII.
    He wasn't publicly supportive of his friend Alan Turing when Turing got busted on sodomy charges
    His work is the reason we have to study Boolean Algebra, and he was actually the first person to find a use for it.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Without him there would have been no digital/information/computer age. Nothing.
    He was married to Betty Moore for fifty years.
    He liked juggling, unicycling, and chess.
    He received thirty major awards, including ten honorary doctorates.
    He suffered terribly from Alzheimers his last few years and died unaware of what he had accomplished.
    He may have been the most influential scientist of the latter half of the Twentieth Century and was most certainly the most important scientist in the history of computing.
    His master's thesis at MIT, 'A Symbolic Analysis of Relay and Switching Circuits' has been called the most important master's thesis of the century.

Credit: tom_jeffords


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying