Bulgaria may be a fairly small and
young country, but it has several important contributions to technology. The
country’s prominent contributions were mostly the foundation and first stepping
stone of today’s technology. Actually, they contributed to several firsts in
technology, and these are the electronic computer, digital watch and car air
bag. They were important foundations to today’s technology.
History of
the World’s First Electronic Computer
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| John Vincent Atanasoff |
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The first electronic computer was named the Atanasoff-Berry
Computer (ABC) and it was invented by John Vincent Atanasoff on November 1939. Atanasoff
was born in 1903 in Bulgaria. Atanasoff was raised in Florida, United States.
·
At 22 years old, he received his bachelor’s degree in
electrical engineering from the University of Florida. The following year he
received his master’s diploma in mathematics. At the time of the computer’s
invention, Atanasoff was an assistant professor at Iowa State College in
mathematics and physics.
·
In 1936, Atanasoff invented an analog calculator, called the
laplaciometer, that can compute the surface geometry. He designed such device because he was
motivated to find other methods of computation that are faster than the Monroe
calculator which is the one he was using to complete his doctoral thesis. The
inaccuracy of the analog calculator drove Atanasoff to create the first
electronic computer.
·
Atanasoff sought the assistance of a graduate student named
Clifford Berry. Berry was a gifted electrical engineer who was essential to the
creation and development of the ABC.
·
The device was designed to solve up to 29 linear equations,
simultaneously. The present day computer is very much different from the ABC,
although both were developed using binary math and Boolean logic. Unlike
today’s desktop computers, the Atanasoff-Berry Computer did not have a central
processing unit and weighed 320 kilograms.
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| Atanasoff-Berry Computer |
The Atanasoff-Berry Computer was
never patented, and the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC)
was considered to be the first computer invented. A patent dispute between
Honeywell Inc. and Sperry Rand confirmed who was the real inventor of the
computer. It was in 1973 when a U.S. District Court ruled that the ABC was the
first computer invented and that John Vincent Atanasoff is the inventor,
although he also had some indirect participation in the lawsuit as a witness for
Honeywell Inc.
History of
the First Digital Watch
The second major contribution of
Bulgaria to technology was the first digital watch and its prototype was
developed by Peter Petroff.
 |
| Peter Petroff |
·
Petroff was born on October 21, 1919 and raised in Bulgaria.
He was an engineer, NASA scientist, and inventor. Not much is known about
Petroff’s life in Bulgaria. Actually, much of his entire life involves
travelling and moving from one place to another.
·
It all started when he enlisted in the French Foreign Legion
when he was 20 years old. The following year, he was captured and sent to a
German prison camp in Poland. In 1941, he returned to Bulgaria and served in
the Bulgarian Army. Petroff moved to Germany to study engineering at the
University of Munich three years after joining the army. He had degrees in
electrical, mechanical and civil engineering. He also studied naval
architecture during his time in Germany.
·
By 1951, he was working on arctic engineering and
construction projects for the US Air Force in various parts of the United
States. Petroff was recruited by Wernher von Braun to work for NASA in 1963. He
was tasked to work on the new Saturn rocket for the Apollo space program of
NASA.
·
In 1975, he founded a company that manufactures computerized
pollution monitoring system and other devices for the world’s weather and
communications satellites.
·
After developing the prototype for the first digital watch,
Petroff’s company Care Electronics, Inc. was acquired by Electro-Data. The
digital watch was then introduced to the public as Pulsar by the Hamilton Watch
Company.
Throughout his entire career, Petroff
received numerous awards and honors in his name for his various contributions
to different fields of study. Aside from developing the world’s first digital
watch prototype, he also made the world’s first wireless heart monitor. Peter
Petroff continued to pursue his passion in naval design and architecture after
selling the company.
How the
Airbag Came to Be
Another important contribution made
by a Bulgarian national is the airbag.
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| Assen Jordanoff |
·
Before it was introduced in the 1970s to be used
commercially, the airbag was designed by Assen Jordanoff in 1957. Assen, also
known as Jerry, was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria in September 2, 1896 to
a wealthy family. He was an aviator, engineer, and inventor. Jordanoff, as a
child, showed interest in anything related to aviation. As a teenager, he would
go to the local university to attend lectures on physics. His parents would
take him to Italy, Switzerland, France and other countries and there he would
learn about the many innovations made on various modes of transportation.
·
At 16, he applied at the Bleriot school in Etampes, France
despite knowing the chances of him being accepted were slim. He was not
officially enrolled at the school but was allowed to attend classes with the
greatest aviators of that day.
·
Assen Jordanoff volunteered for the army during the two
Balkan Wars, and spent most of his time in airplane hangars. This is where he
became more hands-on with the airplane parts. As relayed by Colonel Milkov,
Assen would draw and copy the design of the parts of the planes’ machines.
·
By 1915, just as the Bulgarian aircraft industry was
starting, Jerry was already widely known as a designer, mathematician and
inventor. During that same year, he also designed the first airplane made in
his home country. He had a plan to pursue a project to design and build a
multi-engine plane. However, this was cancelled because of World War 1.
·
During World War 1, he was assigned to the air force as a
lieutenant. After the war he was given numerous awards. In 1921, Assen and his
friend, Alexander Stoyanov, attempted to join a contest to fly around the earth
in 100 days. They were widely supported by their government and were granted
financial support for this endeavor. They traveled to the United States only to
find out that they were the only interested participants of the contest. The
competition was eventually canceled.
·
Jordanoff decided to stay in the United States, despite not
knowing any English word. He started working at a construction site in New
York, and learned English during his free time. After his stint as a
construction worker, Jerry got a job at the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Then,
he began taking classes in engineering, radio electronics, physics, chemistry,
and aeronautics at a local university. He was also able to finish flying school
at that time, and he became a test pilot, a pilot for air taxis, a stunt pilot,
a flying instructor, and also a salesman for Curtiss-Wright.
·
From the period of 1930s to 1940s, Assen’s career continued
to flourish. He started his own company, and participated in several companies
such as Douglas, Chance-Vought, Lockheed, Curtiss-Wright, Boeing, McDonnell,
North American, Consolidated, and Piper on some projects. Jordanoff was also
given the responsibility to create the instruction manuals and books for
several aircrafts that were used during the war. He was tasked to do so because
of his talent as an aviation designer and engineer.
·
Upon his death in 1967, Assen Jordanoff was able to
contribute greatly to the field of aviation and aeronautics, as well as to the
safety of passengers by designing the first airbag.
People say that Bulgaria cannot keep the
citizens’ great minds, its most prized possessions, in the country because most
Bulgarians always leave their home country to find a greener pasture where they
can build their lives. Their great countrymen are only remembered upon their
deaths because of the possible fame their great deeds might bring to the
country posthumously.
