BASIC's creators used a similar computer four years later to develop the programming language. Credit: GE / Wikipedia A brochure for the GE 210 computer from 1964.

Under the new law, Act 211, which took effect Aug. 1, public schools with students in grades 6-8 must start teaching the basics of computer science in the 2026-27 school year.

Long before the days of laptops and smartphones, Thomas E. Kurtz worked to give more students access to computers. That work helped propel generations into a new world. Kurtz has died at 96.