Dan Broido – 1903-1990 Born in Siberia of politically active parents, refugee to Germany from Soviet oppression, took degree in Mechanical Engineering in Berlin, and became an engineer at the firm of Rotaprint, who sent him to the UK in 1934 to work in their London branch. Worked for Caterpillar Tractors during World War II on nationally important work, and subsequently for a Company interested in developing automatic reading equipment, Broido filed over 100 patents including one of the earliest bar code systems. The company was taken over by ICT but in 1956 he was recruited by LEO as Chief Mechanical Engineer charged with developing optical reading facilities. This resulted in the development of Lector and later Autolector. When LEO, and later ICL started selling computers in Eastern Europe including Russia, Broido played a key role in the success of that enterprise. A biographical sketch of his carrer can be found on pages 202 to 203 in his book LEO: the World’s First Business Computer.
http://www.kzwp.com/lyons.pensioners/obituary2B.htm (page 1)
