Claude Shannon was an American mathematician and information scientist, famous for being the “father of information theory.” As a child, he was interested in electrical devices and built a telegraph that connected to his friend’s home half a mile away. At age 21, he started his master’s program in electrical engineering. His master’s thesis on digital computing theory has been called the “most important master’s thesis of all time.” During World War II, he worked to help win the war by inventing a machine that helped destroy German rockets. In 1950, with the help of his wife, he built a machine capable of learning by itself. This machine was viewed as part of the foundation of Artificial Intelligence. In 1958, he became a full professor at MIT and continued to teach there for more than 20 years. A biography written about his life called him, the “most important genius you’ve never heard of.”
* telegraph: 전신기 ** thesis: 논문