An Wang was a Chinese-American computer engineer and inventor, and cofounder of computer company Wang Laboratories, which was known primarily for its dedicated word processing machines.
20 Facts About An Wang
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An Wang was an important contributor to the development of magnetic-core memory.
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An Wang's father taught English at an elementary school outside Shanghai, while his mother Zen Wan Wang was a homemaker.
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An Wang graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University with a degree in electrical engineering in 1940.
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An Wang immigrated to the United States in June 1945 to attend Harvard University for graduate school, earning a PhD in applied physics in 1948.
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Harvard reduced its commitment to computer research in 1951, prompting An Wang to start his own engineering business.
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An Wang founded An Wang Laboratories in June 1951 as a sole proprietorship.
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In 1955, when the core memory patent was issued, An Wang sold it to IBM for and incorporated An Wang Laboratories with Ge-Yao Chu, a schoolmate.
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An Wang began making desktop electronic calculators with digital displays, including a centralised calculator with remote terminals for group use.
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The An Wang 2200 was one of the first desktop computers with a large CRT display and ran a fast hardwired BASIC interpreter.
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Hard times ensued for the company and the elder An Wang was eventually forced to remove his son in 1989.
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An Wang founded the Wang Institute of Graduate Studies in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, which offered a graduate program in software engineering.
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An Wang made substantial donations to this organization, including the proceeds of his autobiography, Lessons.
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However, enrollment remained low, and in 1987, after nearly a decade of operation, An Wang decided to discontinue funding the institution and transferred ownership of the campus to Boston University.
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An Wang made a substantial contribution for the restoration of a Boston landmark, which was then called the Metropolitan Theatre.
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An Wang donated $4 million to Massachusetts General Hospital's ambulatory care center, which was renamed to the An Wang Building.
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An Wang was one of twelve recipients of the Medal of Liberty in 1986.
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An Wang was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1988.
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Lorraine An Wang died on March 1,2016, at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts.
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An Wang is known for a number of pithy aphorisms summing up principles based on his experience in business and life.