On November 4th, the Mass Technology and Leadership Council honored Leo Beranak, founder of Bolt, Beranek, and Newman (BBN) with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Beranek, 95, was a pioneer in the field of acoustics as an MIT professor and Boston television as a co-owner of WCVB-TV, Channel 5. Many know him best as founder of the company that includes his name.
History of BBN
BBN, was founded in 1948, by Leo Beranek and Richard Bolt, professors at MIT, with Bolt’s former student Robert Newman. The acoustical consulting business was spun off into Acentech Incorporated. The calculations involved in the acoustical work required computers and BBN knew that if they were ever going to become a large company, they couldn’t just focus on acoustics. So, BBN bought a number of computers in the late 1950s and early 1960s, notably the first production PDP-1 from Digital Equipment Corporation which they beta tested.
Some of BBN’s notable developments in the field of computer networks are the ARPANET, the forerunner to today’s Internet, the first e-mail sent, and the use of the @ sign in an email address. BBN also developed the first Internet protocol router, an early predecessor of voice over IP, and the first time sharing system. And, the list of BBN developments goes on and on as does the list of well-known computer icons have worked at BBN.
Leo Beranek Reflects
Mass High Tech News just published a great interview with Leo Beranek, 95 that is worth a read. It covers three themes woven throughout his history: innovation, entrepreneurship and his unique ability to connect with people. He begins by talking about his humble beginnings in Iowa where he first became interested in acoustics through his drum set and by tinkering with a Crosley one-tube radio. He talks about starting BBN in 1948 and hiring first class people. At the time, there was no venture capital, so they stated the company with a bank loan.
Realizing that he’d never grow to company to a large size if he just focused on acoustics, he hired J. C. R. Licklider. He convinced BBN to spend $30,000 on a computer that they didn’t know quite what they were going to do with. This seemed crazy at the time because they’d never bought anything more expensive than a drinking fountain before, but they made the investment. With Lickliter learning digital programming, one thing led to another and BBN ended up with the DEC PDP-1, which Beranek said “looked like two or three refrigerators standing side by side.”
For more information on Beranek’s thoughts on what the Internet has become today, running a local TV station, some of the great acoustical halls, and maintaining a work/life balance read his autobiography “Riding the Waves: A Life in Sound, Science, and Industry.“
– Carole Gunst
