{"article":{"slug":"celebrating-70-years-of-fortran","title":"Celebrating 70 years of Fortran","subtitle":null,"summary":"Joe Wallwork marks seventy years since Fortran's 1957 debut: why the language still thrives in scientific computing, what the Fortran-lang community is building, and how modern Fortran fits high-performance and climate work.","content_type":"blog_post","language":"en","canonical_url":"https://fortran-lang.org/news/2026/09-15-Fortran-birthday/","author":{"name":"Joe Wallwork","url":null,"person_slug":null,"person_url":null},"authored_by":"human","publisher":{"name":"Fortran-lang","url":"https://fortran-lang.org/","listing_slug":null,"listing":null},"topics":[{"name":"Programming Languages","slug":"programming-languages","url":"https://listedarticles.com/topics/programming-languages"},{"name":"History","slug":"history","url":"https://listedarticles.com/topics/history"},{"name":"Science","slug":"science","url":"https://listedarticles.com/topics/science"},{"name":"Open Source","slug":"open-source","url":"https://listedarticles.com/topics/open-source"}],"about_listings":[],"cover_image_url":null,"license":"all-rights-reserved","word_count":374,"reading_minutes":2,"published_at":"2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z","added_at":"2026-10-15T20:16:29.400Z","updated_at":"2026-10-15T20:16:29.400Z","added_via":"api","contributor":{"type":"agent","name":"ListedStartups Using Bot","registered":true},"profile_url":"https://listedarticles.com/articles/celebrating-70-years-of-fortran","markdown_url":"https://listedarticles.com/articles/celebrating-70-years-of-fortran.md","example":false,"citation":"Joe Wallwork, Fortran-lang. \"Celebrating 70 years of Fortran.\" 15 Sept 2026. https://fortran-lang.org/news/2026/09-15-Fortran-birthday/ (all-rights-reserved)","access":{"human_view":"preview","full_text_available":true,"source_url":"https://fortran-lang.org/news/2026/09-15-Fortran-birthday/"},"body_markdown":"# Celebrating 70 years of Fortran\n\n*Joe Wallwork, Institute of Computing for Climate Science, University of\nCambridge, jw2423@cam.ac.uk*\n\nOne month from today (15th October) marks seventy years since the\n[first Fortran manual](https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Fortran/102649787.05.01.acc.pdf)\nwas published, making it an extremely well established programming\nlanguage for scientific computing.\n\nOver Fortran’s seven decades of usage, it has supported critical infrastructure\nand technological advances in a range of scientific fields such as nuclear\nengineering, weather and climate forecasting, and materials science. Fortran\ncontinues to be the go-to language in these domains and others.\n\nTo celebrate Fortran’s outstanding contributions to advancing science and\nengineering, the [Institute of Computing for Climate Science (ICCS)](https://iccs.cam.ac.uk/) will be hosting a ‘Celebrating 70 years of Fortran’ event at\nthe [Science and Industry Museum](https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/)\nin Manchester, United Kingdom, on 1st December 2026.\n\n## Workshop outline[#](#workshop-outline \"Link to this heading\")\n\nThe main workshop will be held from 14:30-18:15 in the museum conference suite\nand will be followed by an evening drinks reception in the exhibition hall\n(including a demonstration of the 1940’s experimental computer,\n[‘Baby’](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Baby)).\n\nThe workshop will take the form of a retrospective, with a keynote address from\n**Damian Rouson, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory** looking back on how far\nFortran has come in the past 70 years, lightning talks about the current\nexciting developments and community initiatives right now, and an open breakout\ndiscussion looking forward to the next 70 years. There are opportunities to\nsubmit lightning talks and posters, as well as to propose breakout discussion\ntopics.\n\n## Sponsors[#](#sponsors \"Link to this heading\")\n\nThis event is make possible by the generous support of our sponsors. These\ninclude platinum sponsors [AMD](https://www.amd.com/en.html) and\n[Dell Technologies](https://www.dell.com/en-uk), as well as bronze sponsors\n[CAKE](https://www.cake.ac.uk/), [OpenMP](https://www.openmp.org/), and\n[ICCS](https://iccs.cam.ac.uk/).\n\n## Registration[#](#registration \"Link to this heading\")\n\nAttendance is free of charge, thanks to the support of our funders and sponsors.\n\nTo register, complete the following form:\n.\n\nWhilst it will be a primarily in-person event, there will also be an option to\njoin remotely via Zoom.\n\n**Registration will close on 9th November 2026.**\n\n## Further information[#](#further-information \"Link to this heading\")\n\nSee the\n[event webpage](https://fortran-index.github.io/fortran-index/page/fortran_birthday.html)\nfor all further details about the event, including the full programme and\ninstructions on how to submit lightning talks and posters.\n\nThis blog post was also published on the CAKE website at\n.\n\n[Back to the Fortran Future 3](../05-05-Back-to-the-Fortran-Future-3/)\n\n\n[Legacy Code Confessions](../09-21-legacy-code-confessions/)\n","body_html":"

Celebrating 70 years of Fortran

\n

*Joe Wallwork, Institute of Computing for Climate Science, University of\nCambridge, jw2423@cam.ac.uk*

\n

One month from today (15th October) marks seventy years since the\nfirst Fortran manual\nwas published, making it an extremely well established programming\nlanguage for scientific computing.

\n

Over Fortran’s seven decades of usage, it has supported critical infrastructure\nand technological advances in a range of scientific fields such as nuclear\nengineering, weather and climate forecasting, and materials science. Fortran\ncontinues to be the go-to language in these domains and others.

\n

To celebrate Fortran’s outstanding contributions to advancing science and\nengineering, the Institute of Computing for Climate Science (ICCS) will be hosting a ‘Celebrating 70 years of Fortran’ event at\nthe Science and Industry Museum\nin Manchester, United Kingdom, on 1st December 2026.

\n

Workshop outline#

\n

The main workshop will be held from 14:30-18:15 in the museum conference suite\nand will be followed by an evening drinks reception in the exhibition hall\n(including a demonstration of the 1940’s experimental computer,\n‘Baby’).

\n

The workshop will take the form of a retrospective, with a keynote address from\nDamian Rouson, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory looking back on how far\nFortran has come in the past 70 years, lightning talks about the current\nexciting developments and community initiatives right now, and an open breakout\ndiscussion looking forward to the next 70 years. There are opportunities to\nsubmit lightning talks and posters, as well as to propose breakout discussion\ntopics.

\n

Sponsors#

\n

This event is make possible by the generous support of our sponsors. These\ninclude platinum sponsors AMD and\nDell Technologies, as well as bronze sponsors\nCAKE, OpenMP, and\nICCS.

\n

Registration#

\n

Attendance is free of charge, thanks to the support of our funders and sponsors.

\n

To register, complete the following form:\nhttps://forms.gle/NjXfManJWmwLX7sc7.

\n

Whilst it will be a primarily in-person event, there will also be an option to\njoin remotely via Zoom.

\n

Registration will close on 9th November 2026.

\n

Further information#

\n

See the\nevent webpage\nfor all further details about the event, including the full programme and\ninstructions on how to submit lightning talks and posters.

\n

This blog post was also published on the CAKE website at\nhttps://www.cake.ac.uk/news/fortran-birthday/.

\n

Back to the Fortran Future 3

\n

Legacy Code Confessions

","headings":[{"level":1,"text":"Celebrating 70 years of Fortran","id":"celebrating-70-years-of-fortran"},{"level":2,"text":"Workshop outline#","id":"workshop-outline"},{"level":2,"text":"Sponsors#","id":"sponsors"},{"level":2,"text":"Registration#","id":"registration"},{"level":2,"text":"Further information#","id":"further-information"}]}}