An Wang
He turned a revolutionary memory core into a billion-dollar empire that defined office computing before the PC era.
1920–1990 (age 70)·Chinese-American businessman and computer engineer·Birthday: February 7·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Born in Shanghai, An Wang arrived in the United States in 1945 with little more than his formidable intellect. While working at Harvard's Computation Laboratory, he patented a key method for magnetic core memory, a technology that became the standard for computer RAM for two decades. With $600 in savings, he founded Wang Laboratories in a Boston loft. Wang's genius lay not in chasing the general-purpose computer market, but in identifying a specific need: word processing. His company's dedicated systems, with their distinctive green screens, transformed secretarial work and became fixtures in offices worldwide, making him a billionaire and one of the most successful Chinese-American entrepreneurs of his time. His story is a classic tale of immigrant innovation, though his reluctance to embrace the personal computer ultimately led to his empire's decline.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
An was born in 1920, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When An Was Born
The biggest hits of 1920
#1 Movie
Way Down East
An's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1920Born
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1925Started school
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1933Became a teenager
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1936Could drive
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1938Could vote
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1941Turned 21
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1950Turned 30
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1960Turned 40
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 50
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 60
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 70
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
Key Achievements
- Patented a pivotal pulse transfer controlling device for magnetic core memory in 1949.
- Founded Wang Laboratories, which grew into a multibillion-dollar Fortune 500 company.
- Pioneered and dominated the dedicated word processor market in the 1970s and early 1980s.
- Donated millions to civic and cultural institutions in Boston, including the Wang Theatre.
Did You Know?
He sold his core memory patent to IBM for $500,000, which he used as seed money for his company.
Wang Laboratories was the first company to offer a desktop computer with a built-in cathode-ray tube display.
He was a major philanthropist, and Boston's performing arts center was renamed the Wang Theatre after a large donation.
He held over 40 patents in computer and communications technology.
“Success is more a function of consistent common sense than it is of genius.”
