Upstate Trivia: Did You Know This?

While driving through Hamilton, N.Y. recently, this little addition to the village's welcome sign caught my eye.

Did you know this?

John Vincent Atanasoff was born in Hamilton in 1903.  He was a , physicist, scientist and inventor.  In 1937, Atanasoff, born to Bulgarian immigrant, developed the first analytical computer in the U.S.  He patented several of the original workings of a calculating computer and is widely recognized as the "Inventor of the Computer."  Born in Hamilton, N.Y.  Who knew?

Today there are statues, plaques and even streets named after Atanasoff in Bulgaria. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush awarded him the National Medal of Technology, our nation's highest technology honor.