Famous Inventors
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
Gordon Gould (July 17, 1920 — September 16, 2005) was an American physicist who is widely (but not universally) credited as the inventor of the laser. He is best known for his thirty-year fight with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to obtain patents for the laser and related technologies, and his court battles with laser manufacturers to enforce the patents he subsequently did obtain.
Early life
Born in New York City, Gould was the oldest of three sons. Both his parents were Methodists active... » more details
American astronomer, physicist, inventor of the bolometer and pioneer of aviation
Samuel Pierpont Langley (August 22, 1834, Roxbury, Massachusetts (near Boston) – February 27, 1906, Aiken, South Carolina) was an American astronomer, physicist, inventor of the bolometer and pioneer of aviation. He graduated from Boston Latin School, was an assistant in the Harvard College Observatory, then became chair of mathematics at the United States Naval Academy. In 1867, he became the director of the Allegheny Observatory and a professor of astronomy at the Western University of Pennsylvania, now known as... » more details
Johannes Gensfleisch, inventing movable type printing in Europe around 1439, and mechanical printing globally. His major work, the Gutenberg Bible
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (c. 1400 – February 3, 1468) was a German goldsmith and printer who is credited with inventing movable type printing in Europe around 1439, and mechanical printing globally. His major work, the Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible), has been acclaimed for its high aesthetic and technical quality.
Among the specific contributions to printing that are attributed to Gutenberg are the design of... » more details
EMILE BERLINER, ounded The Berliner Gramophone Company in 1895, The Gramophone Company in London, England, in 1897, Deutsche Grammophon in Hanover, Germany
Emile Berliner (May 20, 1851 – August 3, 1929) was a German-born American inventor, best known for developing the disc record gramophone (phonograph in American English). He founded The Berliner Gramophone Company in 1895, The Gramophone Company in London, England, in 1897, Deutsche Grammophon in Hanover, Germany, in 1898 and Berliner Gram-o-phone Company of Canada in Montreal in 1899 (chartered in 1904).
Life and work
Born to a Jewish family in... » more details
ISAAC NEWTON, Newton's laws of motion,The famous three laws of motion, Arithmetica Universalis, Newton's theorem of revolving orbits
Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (pronounced /ˈnju¢°tən/; 4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727 [OS: 25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726]) was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian. His Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published in 1687, is said to be the greatest single work in the history of science. In this work, Newton described universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, laying the groundwork for classical mechanics,... » more details
ARCHIMEDES OF SYRACUSE, innovative machines, including siege engines and the screw pump that bears his name
Archimedes of Syracuse (Greek: Ἀρχιμήδης) (c. 287 BC – c. 212 BC) was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics and the explanation of the principle of the lever. He is credited with designing innovative machines, including siege engines and the screw pump... » more details
Manfred von Ardenne, 600 patents in fields including electron microscopy, medical technology, nuclear technology, plasma physics, and radio and television technology
Manfred von Ardenne (January 20, 1907 in Hamburg - May 26, 1997 in Dresden) was a German research and applied physicist and inventor. He took out approximately 600 patents in fields including electron microscopy, medical technology, nuclear technology, plasma physics, and radio and television technology. From 1928 to 1945, he directed his private research laboratory Forschungslaboratoriums für Elektronenphysik. For ten years after World War II, he worked in the Soviet... » more details
SIR WILLIAM GEORGE ARMSTRONG,building of Newcastle’s Hancock Natural History Museum
Sir William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong (November 26, 1810 – December 27, 1900) was a Tyneside industrialist who was the effective founder of the Armstrong Whitworth manufacturing empire.
Early life
He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, at 9 Pleasant Row, Shieldfield, about three-quarters of a mile from the city centre. The house no longer exists but an inscribed granite tablet marks the spot. At that time the area, next to the Pandon Dene, was quite rural. His father, also called William,... » more details
John Logie Baird (August 13, 1888 – June 14, 1946) was a Scottish engineer and inventor of the world\'s first working television system. Although Baird\'s electromechanical system was eventually displaced by purely electronic systems (such as those of Vladimir Zworykin and Philo Farnsworth), his early successes demonstrating working television broadcasts and his colour and cinema television work earn him a prominent place in television\'s invention.
Baird was born in Helensburgh, Argyll, Scotland. He was educated at Larchfield Academy (now part of Lomond School), Helensburgh; the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical... » more details
