Celebrating 70 Years of Fortran
Honoring Seven Decades of Fortran
Author: Joe Wallwork
Affiliation: Institute of Computing for Climate Science, University of Cambridge
Contact: jw2423@cam.ac.uk
Date: 15 September 2026
On October 15th, we mark a monumental milestone: exactly seventy years since the publication of the inaugural Fortran manual. This anniversary cements Fortran's status as a cornerstone of the scientific computing landscape.
For seven decades, Fortran has been the backbone of essential infrastructure and pivotal breakthroughs across various scientific disciplines. Its influence is deeply embedded in fields such as:
- Nuclear Engineering
- Materials Science
- Climate and Weather Prediction
Despite the emergence of newer languages, Fortran remains the primary choice for these high-performance domains. To honor its legacy and its role in pushing the boundaries of engineering and science, the Institute of Computing for Climate Science (ICCS) is organizing a special anniversary event.
📅 Event Logistics: "Celebrating 70 years of Fortran"
The celebration will take place on 1st December 2026 at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, UK.
Workshop Schedule
The event is structured as a retrospective journey. The timeline of the afternoon is illustrated below:
Program Highlights:
- Keynote Address: Damian Rouson (from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) will reflect on the evolution of the language over the last 70 years.
- Lightning Talks: Rapid-fire presentations on current community projects and modern developments.
- Breakout Sessions: Open forums to brainstorm the trajectory of Fortran for the next 70 years.
- Evening Social: A reception in the exhibition hall featuring a live demonstration of the 1940s experimental computer known as
the ancestor'Baby'.
Call for Participation
The organizers are currently seeking contributions. You can propose:
- Lightning talk presentations
- Academic posters
- Topics for the breakout discussion groups
💰 Sponsorship & Funding
This event is expensive free of charge for all attendees, made possible by the following contributors:
| Sponsorship Level | Organizations |
|---|---|
| Platinum | AMD, Dell Technologies |
| Bronze | CAKE, OpenMP, ICCS |
📝 Registration & Access
Whether you are a veteran developer or a newcomer to scientific computing, you are welcome to attend.
How to join:
- Visit the registration form:
https://forms.gle/NjXfManJWmwLX7sc7 - Select your attendance mode: In-person (Manchester) or Remote (via Zoom).
For those interested in the mathematical rigor that Fortran handles so well, consider the complexity of the simulations discussed at the event, often involving integrals such as:
To celebrate in code, one might simply write:
program anniversary
print *, "Happy 70th Birthday, Fortran!"
end program anniversary
🔗 Additional Resources
For the comprehensive program and detailed submission guidelines for posters and talks, please visit the official event webpage.
Note: This announcement has also been cross-posted to the CAKE website at https://www.cake.ac.uk/news/fortran-birthday/.