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Baer, Ralph H. (32887607): Difference between revisions
Sync brief Stories summary, details, and photos from The Stories/The Enemy I Knew/Ralph Baer |
Remove redundant Civil Life research note |
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* Tidworth | * Tidworth | ||
* OSS | * OSS | ||
* “Father of Video Games”; Odyssey; Pong | * “Father of Video Games”; Odyssey; Pong | ||
* Portrait and summary from Notable Ritchie Boys slides ([https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ij8PP9weF976Lb5_Ic4bFimcuAZzXRn3cHfNCk5nTdM source]). | * Portrait and summary from Notable Ritchie Boys slides ([https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ij8PP9weF976Lb5_Ic4bFimcuAZzXRn3cHfNCk5nTdM source]). | ||
Revision as of 04:40, 23 August 2026
| Ralph H. Baer | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Rudolph Baer |
| Born | 1922 |
| Died | 2014 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 32887607 |
| Rank | Private |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 10 (23 July – 20 September 1943) |
| Section | 5D |
| Enlisted | New York City, New York |
| Specialty | Order of battle; weapons instruction |
| Unit / division | Military intelligence (Tidworth / Normandy MI group) |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Ralph H. Baer (1922–2014) was a United States Army Pvt who trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, in Class 10. Born Rudolph Baer in Pirmasens; Camp Ritchie order-of-battle specialist who later pioneered home video games.
Biography
Ralph H. Baer — “Father of Video Games”; Odyssey; Pong. Summary from a Notable Ritchie Boys slide (source).
Ralph Baer (born Rudolph Baer in Pirmasens, Germany, in 1922) trained at Camp Ritchie as an order-of-battle specialist and served in England and Normandy with an MI weapons-instruction group. After the war he pioneered console video games and received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2006. He died in 2014. See the full story.
Research notes
- MIS London
- Tidworth
- OSS
- “Father of Video Games”; Odyssey; Pong
- Portrait and summary from Notable Ritchie Boys slides (source).
Gallery
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 92 |
| Nara ASN | 32887607 |
| Nara Name | BAER RALPH H |
| Nara State | 23 |
| Nara County | 61 |
| Nara POE | 2364 |
| Nara DOE | 120443 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | NO |
| Nara Branch Code | 2 |
| Branch | No branch assignment |
| Nara Term or Enlistment | 5 |
| Term of enlistment | Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law |
| Defer. Date | 0 |
| Nara Source | 0 |
| Nara Nativity | N1 |
| Nara Year of Birth | 22 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 4 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 583 |
| Nara Marital Status | 1 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 0 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 124 |
| Class_ASN | 32887607 |
| Class_Name | BAER, Ralph H. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
| Census_HISTID | BA90D884-AFC9-48F6-B2E2-D53318E31A25 |
| Census_State | NEW YORK |
| Census_Relate | Child |
| Census_Sex | Male |
| Census_Age | 18 |
| Census_BirthYear | 1922 |
| Census_Marital | Never married/single |
| Census_Race | White |
| Census_BPL | 453 |
| Census_MBPL | 0 |
| Census_FBPL | 0 |
| Census_Citizen | Not a citizen |
| Census_Educ | Grade 11 |
| Census_OCC | 226 |
Sources
- Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
- NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
- 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
- The Stories essay