Programming in the 1950s: A Look at the Most Popular Languages

From FORTRAN and COBOL to LISP and ALGOL, a retrospective on the programming languages that shaped the decade

In the 1950s, the world of computer programming was transformed with the development and widespread adoption of many popular programming languages that are still in use today, including FORTRAN, COBOL, and LISP. Photo by Valentin Petkov on Unsplash

The 1950s were a time of great advancement in the field of computer programming. Many popular programming languages that are still in use today were developed or gained widespread adoption during this decade.

1. FORTRAN, which was developed in the 1950s, became a popular choice for scientific and engineering applications. It is a high-level programming language that is known for its ability to perform complex mathematical operations.
2. LISP, which was developed in the 1950s, became popular for artificial intelligence and machine learning applications. It is a high-level programming language that is known for its flexibility and ability to manipulate symbolic data.
3. COBOL, which was developed in the 1950s, became a popular choice for business applications. It is a high-level programming language that is known for its use of English-like syntax and ability to handle large amounts of data.
4. ALGOL, which was developed in the 1950s, became popular for scientific and engineering applications. It is a high-level programming language that is known for its use of block…