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J. C. R. Licklider
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J. C. R. Licklider

Psychologist who imagined the “Intergalactic Computer Network” and funded the research behind the internet

11 March 1915 – 26 June 1990 United States Verified by our editors
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Lived
75 yrs
1915 – 1990
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2
Paper
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Most recent 2013
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J. C. R. Licklider was an American psychologist and computer scientist whose ideas about interactive computing and global networks inspired the ARPANET. As the first director of ARPA’s Information Processing Techniques Office he funded research that led to time-sharing, graphics and the internet.

Biography

Psychoacoustics

Licklider studied physics, mathematics and psychology at Washington University in St. Louis and earned his PhD in psychology at the University of Rochester. He researched how people hear at Harvard and MIT.

Man-Computer Symbiosis

Working at BBN, he wrote the 1960 paper “Man-Computer Symbiosis”, imagining people and computers cooperating in real time on problems — a radical idea when computers were used only in batch mode.

ARPA

In 1962 he became the first director of ARPA’s Information Processing Techniques Office. He funded time-sharing at MIT, Berkeley and elsewhere and, in memos to the “Members and Affiliates of the Intergalactic Computer Network”, described linking computers across the country.

Legacy

His successors, including Robert Taylor and Larry Roberts, built the ARPANET from his vision. He returned to MIT and died in 1990.

Timeline

  1. 1915

    Born in St. Louis, Missouri, United States

  2. 1942

    PhD in psychology from Rochester

  3. 1957

    Joins BBN

  4. 1960

    Man-Computer Symbiosis

  5. 1962

    Heads ARPA’s IPTO

  6. 1963

    Intergalactic Computer Network memo

  7. 1968

    The Computer as a Communication Device

  8. 1990

    Dies

  9. 1990

    Died, aged 75

Notable works

  • 1960

    Man-Computer Symbiosis Paper

  • 1968

    The Computer as a Communication Device Paper

    With Robert Taylor.

Awards and honours

  • Internet Hall of Fame

    2013

Did you know?

  1. 1

    Colleagues called him “Lick”.

  2. 2

    He predicted online communities in 1968.

  3. 3

    He was trained as a psychologist, not an engineer.

Connections

Also born on 11 March

Frequently asked

Who is J. C. R. Licklider?

J. C. R. Licklider was an American psychologist and computer scientist whose ideas about interactive computing and global networks inspired the ARPANET. As the first director of ARPA’s Information Processing Techniques Office he funded research that led to time-sharing, graphics and the internet.

When did J. C. R. Licklider die?

J. C. R. Licklider died on 26 June 1990 at the age of 75.

Where is J. C. R. Licklider from?

J. C. R. Licklider was born in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.

What is J. C. R. Licklider known for?

J. C. R. Licklider is best known for “Man-Computer Symbiosis” (1960); first head of ARPA’s computing office; vision of networked computing.

What awards has J. C. R. Licklider received?

Notable honours include Internet Hall of Fame (2013).

References

  1. J. C. R. Licklider — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  2. J. C. R. Licklider — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  3. J. C. R. Licklider (Q92778) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.

Includes material from the Wikipedia article “J. C. R. Licklider”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more

External links

Wikipedia
Filed under DARPAHuman–computer interactionInternet Computer ScientistPsychologist

About this profile

Cite this page

“J. C. R. Licklider.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/jcr-licklider

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