Ferrite core memories that shaped an industry

The development of reliable, high-speed ferrite core memories that could be mass-produced at low cost was probably the most important innovation that made stored-program computers a practical, commercial reality in the 1950s. Users could now entrust large quantities of data and instructions to memory, making programming easier and job execution faster. The ever increasing demand for more memory reshaped computer systems and, ultimately, the computer industry. The technology had many inventors. Best known are J. W. Forrester of MIT who received from IBM the largest payment on record for any invention to that time and J. A. Rajchman of RCA who, for a time, was awarded most of Forrester´s patent claims. Other important inventors include E. Albers-Schönberg, J. P. Eckert, M. K. Haynes, F. W. Viehe, and A. Wang. It was, however, the technology champions, product innovators, and development engineers who played the dominant roles in the success of ferrite core memories.