John Atanasoff was an American physicist and inventor, best known for developing the first electronic computer, the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC), in the late 1930s. He collaborated with his graduate student, Clifford Berry, to create a machine that used binary digits and electronic switches, laying the groundwork for modern computing. Atanasoff's work was significant because it introduced key concepts such as electronic computation and the separation of memory and processing functions. Although the ABC was never fully operational, it influenced later computers, including the ENIAC, which became the first general-purpose electronic computer.