J.C.R. Licklider

About

Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider, known as J.C.R. Licklider, was a pivotal figure in the development of modern computing and networking. Born on March 11, 1915, in St. Louis, Missouri, he studied psychology, mathematics, and physics at Washington University. Licklider later earned a Ph.D. in psychoacoustics from the University of Rochester in 1942. His career spanned academia and industry, including roles at Harvard University and MIT, where he became interested in computing through projects like the SAGE air defense system. Licklider's vision of a "Galactic Network" of interconnected computers was crucial in the development of ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet. As director of ARPA's Information Processing Techniques Office from 1962 to 1964, he funded projects that led to significant advances in computing technology. His 1960 paper "Man-Computer Symbiosis" and the 1968 paper "The Computer as a Communication Device" outlined concepts now fundamental to the Internet. Licklider's contributions to interactive computing and networking earned him recognition as a pioneer in the field, and he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2013.