4 ms·

Jerry Merryman, an inventor of the handheld calculator, dies at 86

92 points by edw519 8y ago

dang 8y ago
This is a beautiful interview with a friend of his: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/man-who-helped-invent-pocket-calculator-was-a-whiz-kid-who-repaired-radios-at-11-1.5045341 https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/man-who-helped-invent-p.... (Click "Listen".)
- geephroh 8y ago
  Came to post this, too. Sounds like he led a full life of boundless curiosity. Really inspirational.
iceninenines 8y ago
RIP. My grandparents had a TI 2550.
Phillipharryt 8y ago
If anyone has a particular interest in vintage TI calculators and calculator history in general, take a look here http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/calculator_time-line.html http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/calculator_time-line....
animal531 8y ago
He also had a great surname. As from Ancestry.com: Other occupational names include Archer, Baker, Brewer, Butcher, Carter, Clark, Cooper, Cook, Dyer, Farmer, Faulkner, Fisher, Fuller, Gardener, Glover, Head, Hunt or Hunter, Judge, Mason, Page, Parker, Potter, Sawyer, Slater, Smith, Taylor, Thatcher, Turner, Weaver, Woodman, and Wright.
- JoeAltmaier 8y ago
  My favorite: Fletcher! Also Drover, Wakefield. Abbott, Banner, Sumner. Harper, Piper, Fiddler. Foster/Forester and Fowler. Glover, Granger, Hayward, Hoffman. Porter, Skinner, Snyder, Hooper, Joiner, Wagner, Waller. And Maier is also Farmer.
  - mc32 8y ago
    Cooper, Tanner, Turner and Wheeler too. Baxter is interesting in that at one point it was gendered (Baker/Baxter) I’m not aware of another one like that (Seamstress and Taylor but Seamstress isn’t a last name. There're many more occupational examples. Wiki to the rescue[1]. Bleeker from iconic Bleeker Bob’s means Bleacher. [1]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Occupational_surnames https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Occupational_surnam...
sideshowb 8y ago
07734, and goodbye.
- ape4 8y ago
  And 5318008
sandworm101 8y ago
Title is a bit off: "Jerry Merryman, one of the inventors of the hand-held electronic calculator" There were mechanical handheld calculators before electronic ones. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curta https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curta "Curtas were considered the best portable calculators available until they were displaced by electronic calculators in the 1970s."
ArrayList 8y ago
I am sure he was a Merryman.

92 points by edw519 8y ago

dang 8y ago

This is a beautiful interview with a friend of his: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/man-who-helped-invent-pocket-calculator-was-a-whiz-kid-who-repaired-radios-at-11-1.5045341 https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/man-who-helped-invent-p.... (Click "Listen".)

geephroh 8y ago
Came to post this, too. Sounds like he led a full life of boundless curiosity. Really inspirational.

iceninenines 8y ago

RIP. My grandparents had a TI 2550.

Phillipharryt 8y ago

If anyone has a particular interest in vintage TI calculators and calculator history in general, take a look here http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/calculator_time-line.html http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/calculator_time-line....

animal531 8y ago

He also had a great surname. As from Ancestry.com: Other occupational names include Archer, Baker, Brewer, Butcher, Carter, Clark, Cooper, Cook, Dyer, Farmer, Faulkner, Fisher, Fuller, Gardener, Glover, Head, Hunt or Hunter, Judge, Mason, Page, Parker, Potter, Sawyer, Slater, Smith, Taylor, Thatcher, Turner, Weaver, Woodman, and Wright.

JoeAltmaier 8y ago
My favorite: Fletcher! Also Drover, Wakefield. Abbott, Banner, Sumner. Harper, Piper, Fiddler. Foster/Forester and Fowler. Glover, Granger, Hayward, Hoffman. Porter, Skinner, Snyder, Hooper, Joiner, Wagner, Waller. And Maier is also Farmer.
- mc32 8y ago
  Cooper, Tanner, Turner and Wheeler too. Baxter is interesting in that at one point it was gendered (Baker/Baxter) I’m not aware of another one like that (Seamstress and Taylor but Seamstress isn’t a last name. There're many more occupational examples. Wiki to the rescue[1]. Bleeker from iconic Bleeker Bob’s means Bleacher. [1]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Occupational_surnames https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Occupational_surnam...

sideshowb 8y ago

07734, and goodbye.

ape4 8y ago
And 5318008

sandworm101 8y ago

Title is a bit off: "Jerry Merryman, one of the inventors of the hand-held electronic calculator" There were mechanical handheld calculators before electronic ones. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curta https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curta "Curtas were considered the best portable calculators available until they were displaced by electronic calculators in the 1970s."

ArrayList 8y ago

I am sure he was a Merryman.