Jerry Merryman, an inventor of the handheld calculator, has died at 86

Jerry Merryman and Jack Kilby in 1997
(Image credit: Phyllis Merryman via AP)

Jerry Merryman, one of three men credited with inventing the handheld calculator, died on Feb. 27 from complications of heart and kidney failure, The Associated Press reports. He was 86.

Between 1965 and a final patent application in 1974, Merryman worked with James Van Tassel under the direction of Jack Kilby (pictured, left) at Texas Instruments to develop the first portable calculator. Kilby won a Nobel Prize in 2000 for inventing the integrated circuit in 1958, paving the way for modern computers. The prototype of their calculator is in the Smithsonian.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.