Once upon a time, knowing how to use a computer was virtually synonymous with knowing how to program one. And the thing that made it possible was a programming language called BASIC.

Thomas E. Kurtz, a Creator of BASIC Computer Language, Dies at 96 At Dartmouth, long before the days of laptops and smartphones, he worked to give more students access to computers.

Thomas E. Kurtz, a Dartmouth College professor who co-created the novice-friendly computer code known as Basic during the 1960s and helped make it the industry standard for programmers during the ...