Arnold Spielberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arnold Spielberg
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Spielberg in 2014
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| Born |
Arnold Meyer Spielberg
February 6, 1917 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
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| Died | August 25, 2020 (aged 103) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Cincinnati |
| Occupation | Electric engineer |
| Known for | GE-200 series |
| Spouse(s) |
Leah Posner
(m. 1945; div. 1965)Bernice Colner
(m. 1997; died 2016) |
| Children | 4, including Steven and Anne |
| Awards | Computer Pioneer Award (2006) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical engineer |
Arnold Meyer Spielberg (born February 6, 1917 – died August 25, 2020) was an amazing American electrical engineer. He helped create important ways to collect and record information using computers. This work was very important for how modern computers and control systems work today.
He is famous for designing the GE-225 computer in 1959 while working for General Electric. He also considered his biggest achievement to be the first computer-controlled cash register, used in stores. Arnold Spielberg was the father of famous filmmaker Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Anne Spielberg.
Contents
Early Life and Amazing Inventions
Arnold Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 6, 1917. His family came from Ukraine. From a young age, Arnold loved to build things. When he was just nine years old, he started building radios! He would find parts in garbage cans to make his first crystal receiver.
He grew up in Avondale, Cincinnati, and finished high school in 1934. Before becoming an engineer, he trained as a radio operator and gunner for the Air Corps. His skills were so good that he became the Communications Chief for a B-25 Squadron in India. During this time, Arnold's family experienced great loss, with many relatives being harmed during a terrible historical event.
In January 1945, Spielberg married Leah Posner, who was a concert pianist. After earning his degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, he joined RCA in 1949. There, he worked on early designs for control systems.
In 1955, he joined General Electric's computer department. He and his family moved to Phoenix in 1957, where he started the G.E. Industrial Computer Department. He left G.E. in 1963. Arnold and Leah Spielberg divorced in 1965, and he moved with his son Steven to Saratoga, California.
A Trip to Moscow
In 1960, Arnold Spielberg traveled to Moscow as part of a group of electrical engineers. This trip happened around the same time as an event that later inspired his son Steven's 2015 movie, Bridge of Spies.
How He Changed Computers
When RCA started making computers, Arnold Spielberg helped design the first computer circuits. He then moved on to designing entire systems. He was responsible for creating a system that could sort data from one tape to another.
He also designed and patented the very first electronic library system. This system could search for information stored on many magnetic tapes. Later, he became the Manager of Advanced Product Development. In this role, he led the creation of a point-of-sale system.
This point-of-sale system was like a modern cash register. It had a main computer and ten smaller units for sales. It could check for errors, look up prices, calculate sales tax and discounts, and even check if a customer had enough credit. Many of these features are still used in cash registers today!
In 1957, Spielberg started working for General Electric. There, he was key in developing the GE-200 series of computers. The GE-225 computer, introduced in 1960, was a big step forward. Arnold Spielberg and his colleague Charles "Chuck" H. Propster worked together on this important project.
Arnold Spielberg retired in 1991, but he kept working as a consultant for technology companies. He also worked with the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education. This organization was started by his son Steven to record the stories of people who survived difficult times.
Family Life and Later Years
Arnold Spielberg had four children with his first wife, Leah: his son Steven, and daughters Anne, Nancy, and Sue. He also had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His second wife, Bernice Colner, passed away in 2016.
Arnold Spielberg lived a long and full life, passing away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles, California, on August 25, 2020, at the age of 103.
Steven Spielberg's 2022 movie The Fabelmans tells a story inspired by his own childhood. In the film, the main character's father, Burt Fabelman, is an engineer, much like Arnold.
Recognition
- IEEE 2006 Computer Pioneer Award
See also
In Spanish: Arnold Spielberg para niños
