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John Backus and IBM introduced Fortran in 1957 to simplify mathematical computing. The figure is taken from IBM History, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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FORTRAN was the first widely used high-level programming language

John Backus and IBM introduced Fortran in 1957 to simplify mathematical computing

Before FORTRAN, programmers spent hours writing binary or assembly instructions directly for specific computer architectures. John Backus led an IBM team to create FORTRAN (Formula Translation), allowing scientists to write algebraic formulas that a compiler translated into machine instructions. It dramatically reduced coding time and established modern high-level software engineering.

Where this comes from

IBM History

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Tags: fortran, ibm, programming

FORTRAN was the first widely used high-level programming language: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: John Backus and IBM introduced Fortran in 1957 to simplify mathematical computing. The figure is taken from IBM History, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a technology fact?: Yes. It sits on the Technology shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.