Donald Knuth is considered a genius in the fields of computer science and algorithms. He was responsible for a number of developments in theoretical computer science as well as creating multiple programming systems. But most importantly, Knuth developed the way to analyze the complex algorithms and penned down a number of mathematical techniques to achieve that. His contributions were so great that he came to be regarded as the Father of the Analysis of Algorithms.
Knuth first took up Physics at the Case Institute of Technology. While there, he became fascinated with the then-famous IBM 650. But he was displease with the model’s manual and decided that he could do a better job. He, then, rewrote everything, from the assembly to the compiler code. But Knuth became truly popular when he wrote a program that analyzed who among the basketball players could help their school win the championships. His predictions were so spot-on that many were drawn to his program. By then, it was becoming obvious that mathematics was his talent and so he switched courses.
What followed were a series of highs in his long-standing career in the industry. He penned The Art of Computer Programming where he developed the theories on computer programming. In it, he developed the method of analyzing the algorithms involved and the systematic math techniques needed for the analysis. Knuth was also responsible for creating the TeX and METAFONT tools as a more advanced electronic publishing tool. Apart from the typesetting system, Knuth also created the Computer Modern family of typefaces, WEB and CWEB programming systems and the MIX instruction set architectures.
His contributions, clearly ahead of his time, earned Knuth the Grace Murray Hopper Award, the Turing Award and the John von Neumann Medal. He was also awarded with the prestigious National Medal of Science and honored as a fellow of the Computer History Museum.
The Wonderful World of Algorithms 