Changes

==History==

==History==

===The Birth of BBN===

===The Birth of BBN===

BBN originated from the acoustics consulting firm founded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology ([[MIT]]) professors '''Richard Bolt''' and '''Leo Beranek'''. Both men were in-charge of the MIT Acoustical Laboratory, which was known as the leading leading research and teaching laboratory in acoustics. Wallace Harrison, the architect who designed the United Nations headquarters in New York City asked MIT to provide consulting services for the acoustic design of the General Assembly Hall. The bidding request was passed down to Bolt and he won the contract. He figured that the job was too big and he cannot handle alone. He asked Beranek to help him with the project. At that time, the MIT administration was not interested in providing commercial consulting services but the institute allowed its employees to provide private consultancies during their free days. MIT rented out two rooms to Bolt and Beranek as their initial office and encouraged them to create a partnership, which was formed on November 1948. During the early years, Bolt and Beranek were working on the acoustical design of the UN General Assembly Hall, General radio Company and for New York City movie theaters that were previously awarded to Beranek. They were also providing noise control consultancies for some establishments. In 1950, '''Robert Newman''' became a partner of the firm. The partnership became '''Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN)''' Inc. From an acoustics consulting firm the partnership became an innovative research and development company.<ref>[http://mit.edu/6.933/www/Fall2001/BBN.pdf BOLT, BERANEK, AND NEWMAN INC. A CASE HISTORY OF TRANSITION]</ref>

BBN originated from the acoustics consulting firm founded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology ([[MIT]]) professors '''Richard Bolt''' and '''Leo Beranek'''. Both men were in-charge of the MIT Acoustical Laboratory, which was known as the leading leading research and teaching laboratory in acoustics. Wallace Harrison, the architect who designed the United Nations headquarters in New York City asked MIT to provide consulting services for the acoustic design of the General Assembly Hall. The bidding request was passed down to Bolt and he won the contract. He figured that the job was too big and he cannot handle alone. He asked Beranek to help him with the project. At that time, the MIT administration was not interested in providing commercial consulting services but the institute allowed its employees to provide private consultancies during their free days. MIT rented out two rooms to Bolt and Beranek as their initial office and encouraged them to create a partnership, which was formed on November 1948. During the early years, Bolt and Beranek were working on the acoustical design of the UN General Assembly Hall, General radio Company and for New York City movie theaters that were previously awarded to Beranek. They were also providing noise control consultancies for some establishments. In 1950, '''Robert Newman''' became a partner of the firm. The partnership became '''Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN)''' Inc. From an acoustics consulting firm the partnership became an innovative research and development company.<ref>[http://mit.edu/6.933/www/Fall2001/BBN.pdf Beranek and Newman Inc. A Case History of Transition, Section 2: 1948-1957:The Early Years of BBN]</ref>

<ref>[http://www.securenet.net/members/shartley/history/bbn_the_beginning.htm History of the Internet-BBN: In the Beginning]</ref>

<ref>[http://www.securenet.net/members/shartley/history/bbn_the_beginning.htm History of the Internet-BBN: In the Beginning]</ref>

===BBN during the 1950s===

===BBN during the 1950s===

BBN became bigger during the 1950s. The partnership moved from the rented rooms at MIT to another office and eventually occupied a three storey building in Cambridge. Because of the rapid growth of the partnership, BBN was incorporated in 1953. Beranek resigned from MIT and served as Chairman and CEO of the company. During this period, the company set up five research divisions including acoustics, life and information sciences, noise control and applied physics. Some of their significant discoveries include the voice masking for privacy, muffling system for Boeing aircraft which reduced the noise cause by the propeller by 15 decibels, structural dumping and the development of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) program for pattern recognition. The company purchased its first computer (LPG-30) from Royal McBee company in 1958.<ref>[http://www.bbn.com/about/timeline/ Timeline- 1950s]</ref> <ref>[http://mit.edu/6.933/www/Fall2001/BBN.pdf Section 2: 1948-1957:The Early Years of BBN]</ref>

BBN became bigger during the 1950s. The partnership moved from the rented rooms at MIT to another office and eventually occupied a three storey building in Cambridge. Because of the rapid growth of the partnership, BBN was incorporated in 1953. Beranek resigned from MIT and served as Chairman and CEO of the company. During this period, the company set up five research divisions including acoustics, life and information sciences, noise control and applied physics. Some of their significant discoveries include the voice masking for privacy, muffling system for Boeing aircraft which reduced the noise cause by the propeller by 15 decibels, structural dumping and the development of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) program for pattern recognition. The company purchased its first computer (LPG-30) from Royal McBee company in 1958.<ref>[http://www.bbn.com/about/timeline/ Timeline- 1950s]</ref> <ref>[http://mit.edu/6.933/www/Fall2001/BBN.pdf Bolt, Beranek and Newman Inc. A Case History of Transition, Section 2: 1948-1957:The Early Years of BBN]</ref>  

==References==

==References==

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