Sir Clive Sinclair, the inventor of the ZX Spectrum mini computer, died at the age of 81 on September 16. He was well known for miniaturizing electronics and making them affordable to the masses at a time when most were high priced. His daughter Belinda said that he passed at their home in London following a long battle with illness.
Often considered the inventor of the pocket calculator, he had used a pre-existing Texas Instruments chip and redesigned the device in 1972, scaling its size down for true portability. He began designing circuit boards in high school and dropped out at 17 to become a technical journalist while creating and funding his company, Sinclair Radionics. His quest to create small and affordable devices knew no bounds. From a wide range of calculators to a mini TV and the famous ZX Spectrum, he managed to show the world how modern electronics could be made available to almost anyone, anywhere. Well done sir, and thank you.
Inventor Sir Clive Sinclair, who popularised the home computer and invented the pocket calculator, dies aged 81
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) September 16, 2021
https://t.co/RZg2NDD1t7
Image: Nigel Tout 
Image: Nigel Tout 
Image: Rex Features 
Image: Peter Jordan/Alamy 
Image: Wikimedia Commons/Pixel8
Born in 1940, Clive became intensely interested in mathematics and electronics at school, and designed his own electronic circuits. While at school he wrote his first article for the magazine Practical Wireless which was published, and he went for holiday jobs in electronic companies.
Sources: The Guardian (1, 2), CNET, Vintage Calculators Web Museum