MMeM, Vol. 15 Issue 14 – 5318008

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id everyone hear about the death last month of one Jerry Merryman? This man was responsible for inventing the glorious hand-held calculator in 1965 during his employment at Texas Instruments. Jerry attended Texas A&M University, was married three times, and had a daughter. He retired from Texas Instruments in 1994. He passed away on February 27, 2019 in Dallas, TX from heart and kidney failure. (He’s on the left)

He probably never fully realized the impact of his invention. Although, looking back on it all perhaps, just maybe, he did. I mean he was married 3 times.

What am I getting at you may ask? Well, there were millions of kids, err boys, who put his invention and hundreds of knock-offs to good use. Sure, they were used in school for math and algebra homework, but let’s be honest for a second. Every junior high and high school boy learned very important lessons with the handheld calculator.

Surely I don’t have to “spell it out” for any of you, do I?

You might have to turn your head a bit to get “inverted”…

I give you, 58008

and then the very ambitious

5318008.

Thank you very much Jerry. Thank you for a life well lived.