IEEE Milestone Award Event

Manchester Code

Monday 13th April 2026

The IEEE will be holding a Milestone dedication ceremony to celebrate the invention and impact of Manchester code, created in Manchester in 1948. Following talks describing its invention and use, Past President of the IEEE Tom Coughlin will present an IEEE Milestone award to the University of Manchester in recognition of the invention’s impact on data storage, computing and communications.

In 1948 a team at Manchester University began work on one of the earliest magnetic drum stores. By June 1949 the drum was in use as the secondary data store of the University’s Manchester Mark I computer, a prototype for the Ferranti Mark I, the first commercially available computer. The Ferranti Mark I used a larger version of the magnetic drum store as its secondary data store.

In order to make the magnetic drum work the Manchester team invented Manchester code. Manchester code removed the difficulty of storing long binary sequences of the same value in an inductive magnetic store by combining the clock signal and the data into a single binary sequence – Manchester code. While the Manchester team didn’t need an embedded clock in their system this feature of Manchester code made it invaluable in many data storage and communications applications where it remains in use today, over 75 years later.

The event presents the development of the magnetic drum store and the invention of Manchester code, the impact of Manchester code in data storage and its ongoing impact in digital communications.

As the event is co-located with INTERMAG 2026, we are delighted to invite conference attendees to the ceremony which will take place on Monday 13 April 2026 in the afternoon – Attendance is free and is available to non-participants of INTERMAG 2026.