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Jerry Merryman, an inventor of the handheld calculator, dies at 86 (bloomberg.com)
92 points by edw519 on March 7, 2019 | hide | past | favorite | 11 comments



This is a beautiful interview with a friend of his: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/man-who-helped-invent-p.... (Click "Listen".)


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


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....


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

"Curtas were considered the best portable calculators available until they were displaced by electronic calculators in the 1970s."


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.


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.


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_surnam...


07734, and goodbye.


And 5318008


RIP. My grandparents had a TI 2550.


I am sure he was a Merryman.




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