Claude Shannon

Claude Shannon was a clever American scientist who helped change the world with his ideas. He was born on April 30, 1916, in Gaylord, Michigan, and loved science and math when he was young. He built small devices like model planes and even a radio-controlled boat at home!

Shannon studied at the University of Michigan and later at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which is also called MIT. There, he discovered that math could help make electrical circuits work better. This idea helped create the computers and digital devices we use today.

In 1948, Shannon wrote a very important paper that started something called information theory. This helped invent many things we use now, like the Internet, mobile phones, and even compact discs. He also made up the word “bit,” which is a tiny piece of information that computers understand.

Shannon liked fun hobbies, such as juggling and unicycling. He passed away in 2001, but his smart ideas still help us every day. In 2016, people around the world celebrated the 100th anniversary of his birth to remember his amazing work.