Reynold B. Johnson

Reynold B. Johnson (* July 7, 1906 in Dassel, Minnesota, † 15 September 1998 in Palo Alto, California ) was an American inventor, in 1956 the first hard disk drive developed by IBM (IBM 350).

Johnson was the son of Swedish immigrants, and grew up on a farm. He showed an early talent for engineering and studied at the University of Minnesota to become a teacher. After graduating in 1929 he taught at a high school science and mathematics until he lost his job in 1933 due to budget cuts in the Great Depression. He invented during his time as a teacher, a machine that automatically auswertete examination papers, which gave him the attention of IBM, which bought up his patent and hired him in 1934 in their research laboratory in Endicott. His invention was marketed by IBM from 1937 (IBM 805 Test Scoring Machine). He developed a technique ( SENSED Mark in IBM jargon ) markers generated with pins on test sheets converted into punch cards. The method was widely read in the U.S. and was also known as electrographic method.

In 1952 he was sent to the West Coast to build up the research lab in San Jose and to lead. There, the first hard disk drive was developed in 1956 under his leadership, which was marketed as the IBM 350 as part of the IBM 305 RAMAC computer (where RAMAC stood for Random Access Method of Accounting and Control ). In 1966, he was IBM Fellow. In 1971, he was at IBM in retirement.

He founded his own consulting company after Education Engineering Associates, where he developed teaching aids. Among other things, a micro phonograph, the acoustic explanation gave when a child thus pointing to a word or a picture in a book. The invention was used by Fisher-Price Talk to me in their books.

Johnson held more than 90 patents. In 1996 he received the Certificate of Merit, Franklin Institute. In 1986 he received the National Medal of Technology. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

He was married and had two sons and a daughter.