Read Short Biographies and Complete a Comparison of Character Traits for Inventors

McCoy , Elijah
Automatic Engine Lubricator
Elijah McCoy received his first patent for an automatic lubricating de . . . .

McIntire , Otis Ray
Styrofoam Brand Foam
Manufacture of Cellular Thermoplastic Products
McLean , Malcom
Containerized Shipping
Apparatus for Shipping Freight
McMaster , Harold
Tempered Glass
Glass Tempering System Including Oscillating Roller Furnace
Mead , Carver A.
Processor Which Sequences Externally of a Central Processor
Carver Mead is an inventor, chip designer, entrepreneur, and universit . . . .

Mergenthaler , Ottmar
Linotype
Ottmar Mergenthaler's invention of the linotype composing machine in 1 . . . .

Merkle , Ralph
Cryptographic Apparatus and Method
Ralph Merkle realized public-key cryptography (PKC) was possible in 19 . . . .

Metcalfe , Robert M.
Ethernet

Michelson , Gary K.
Apparatus for Use in Inserting Spinal Implants
Orthopedic spinal surgeon Gary Michelson has a portfolio of over 250 U . . . .

Midgley Jr. , Thomas
Ethyl Gasoline
Knock was a destructive phenomenon that occurred in internal combustio . . . .

Miles , Alexander
Improved Method for Opening and Closing Elevators

Miller , Lewis
Combine harvester

Millman , Irving
Vaccine for Hepatitis B
Baruch Blumberg discovered an antigen in 1963 that detected the presen . . . .

Mirowski , Michel
Implantable Heart Defibrillator
Michel Mirowski conceived of the automatic implantable cardioverter de . . . .

Moeller , Dennis
Peripherals
Dennis Moeller and Mark Dean together created a microcomputer system w . . . .

Molloy , Bryan B.
Prozac
Bryan Molloy and Klaus Schmiegel co-invented a class of aryloxyphenylp . . . .

Montagnier , Luc
HIV Virus Isolation and Diagnosis
Dr. Luc Montagnier is best known for his 1983 discovery of the Human I . . . .

Moore , Gordon E.
Method for Fabricating Transistors
As a cofounder of both Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel, Gordon Moore . . . .

Morgan , Garrett
The Gas Mask and the Three-way Traffic Signal
Garrett Morgan invented the gas mask and three-way traffic signal in t . . . .

Morse , Samuel F. B.
Telegraph
Morse developed 'lightning wires' and 'Morse code,' an electronic alph . . . .

Mower , Morton
Implantable Heart Defibrillator
Morton Mower co-invented the automatic implantable cardioverter defibr . . . .

Moyer , Andrew J.
Penicillin
Andrew J. Moyer's discoveries provided the foundation for the industri . . . .

Moyroud , Louis Marius
Photo Composing Machine
Louis Marius Moyroud and Rene Alphonse Higonnet developed the first pr . . . .

Mullis , Kary
Polymerase Chain Reacton
The polymerase chain reaction, which was devised by Kary Mullis, has r . . . .

Murphree , Eger V.
Catalytic Cracking
Eger Murphree, former president of Exxon Research & Engineering Co . . . .

Murphy Jr. , William
Disposable Medical Trays
Disposable Medical Trays
Murray , Thomas E.
Improvements in Electric System Safety
Thomas E. Murray was an American inventor, entrepreneur, and influenti . . . .

Muybridge , Eadweard
Method and Apparatus for Photographing Objects in Motion
Eadweard Muybridge made three major achievements in photography: first . . . .

Nernst , Walther H.
Metallic Filament Incandescent Lamp
Walther Nernst developed a new form of electric lighting, the Nernst l . . . .

Nieuwland , Julius
Synthetic Rubber
Rev. Julius Nieuwland, C.S.C., was the inventor of the first synthetic . . . .

Nobel , Alfred
Dynamite
Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, was also a great industrialist . . . .

Nobile , Arthur
Prednisone

Northrop , John
Flying Wing Plane; All-Metal High-Wing Monocoque Airplane (Vega)
Northrop began his career in 1916, when he joined the Loughead Brother . . . .

Noyce , Robert N.
Integrated Circuit
Robert N. Noyce, cofounder of . . . .

Oliver , Bernard
Pulse Code Modulation
Bernard Oliver, one of the most prolific and influential inventors of . . . .

Olsen , Kenneth H.
Magnetic Core Memory
Kenneth H. Olsen, described by . . . .

Ondetti , Miguel Angel
Captopril

Otis , Elisha Graves
Elevator Brake
Elisha Graves Otis didn't invent the elevator, he invented something p . . . .

Otto , Nicolaus August
Gas-Motor Engine
Engineer Nicolaus August Otto invented the first practical alternative . . . .

Owens , Michael Joseph
Glass Shaping Machine

Page , Charles
High-voltage induction coil

Painter , William
Bottle cap

Pall , David Boris
Leukocyte Reduction Filter
Device and Method for Depletion of the Leukocyte Content of Blood and . . . .

Palmaz , Julio
Intravascular Stent

Parker , Louis W.
Television
Louis W. Parker invented the intercarrier sound system for television . . . .

Parkinson , Bradford
Global Positioning System

Parsons , John T.
Numerical Control
John Parsons changed the control of machines and industrial processes . . . .

Pasteur , Louis
Pasteurization
French chemist Louis Pasteur was the founder of microbiological scienc . . . .

Paul , Les
Solid-Body Electric Guitar
His innovations led to his first solid-body electric guitar in 1941. C . . . .

Pearson , Gerald L.
Silicon Solar Cell
Silicon Solar Cell
Pelton , Lester
Waterwheel

Phillips , Henry
Screw
The significance of the crosshead or Phillips screw lies in its self-c . . . .

Pickering , Thomas R.
Improved Velocipede

Pierce , John
Communications Satellite
In 1936, Pierce joined Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, New . . . .

Pincus , Gregory G.
Oral Contraceptive

Plank , Charles J.
Catalytic Cracking
Charles J. Plank and Edward J. Rosinski invented the first zeolite cat . . . .

Plunkett , Roy J.
Teflon
Chemist Roy J. Plunkett discovered tetrafluoroethylene resin while researching refrigerants at . . . .

Poulsen , Valdemar
Method of Recording and Reproducing Sounds or Signals
Danish engineer Valdemar Poulsen demonstrated magnetic recording in 18 . . . .

Pullman , George
Pullman car

Pupin , Michael
Apparatus for Reducing Attenuation of Electrical Waves
Michael Pupin, born Mihailo Pupin, was a Serbian physicist and physica . . . .

Rabinow , Jacob
Optical Character Reading
Jacob Rabinow patented over 200 inventions, including his optical char . . . .

Renault , Louis
Automobiles

Reno , Jesse Wilford
Escalator

Richardson , Ken
Fluconazole
Fluconazole
Rillieux , Norbert
Automated Sugar Refining
Norbert Rillieux revolutionized the sugar industry by inventing a refi . . . .

Rines , Robert H.
High Resolution Radar and Sonar
Robert H. Rines' contributions to the technology of high-resolution image-scanning radar and sonar began in the era of the . . . .

Ritty , James J.
Mechanical Cash Register
Brothers James and John Ritty invented a working version of a mechanic . . . .

Ritty , John
Mechanical Cash Register
Brothers James and John Ritty a working version of a mechanical cash r . . . .

Roebling , John
Suspension Bridge
In 1841, John Roebling invented a wire rope in order to improve upon t . . . .

Rogers , John Raphael
Matrix for Linotype-Machine

Rohrer , Heinrich
Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Since the invention of the first microscope, scientists have searched for improved ways to explore the microscopic world. Optical systems were limited by the wavelength of light (roughly 2,000 times the diameter of an atom). Later, electron microscopes achieved much higher resolution by taking advantage of the much shorter wavelength of electrons in forming images. The most recent revolution came with Heinrich Rohrer and Gerd Karl Binnig's scanning tunneling microscope (STM), invented in 1981, which provided the first images of individual atoms on the surfaces of materials. The STM can image atomic details as tiny as 1/25th the diameter of a typical atom, which corresponds to a resolution several orders of magnitude better than the best electron microscope.

The STM's significance was quickly recognized throughout the world, and it has been used in fields as diverse as semiconductor science, metallurgy, electrochemistry, and molecular biology.

Only five years after Binnig and Rohrer built the first STM, they were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Binnig and Rohrer began their STM work at the . . . .

Rosen , Harold
Spin Stabilized Synchronous Communications Satellite
In 1957, the United States was facing a problem. The Russians had succ . . . .

Rosinski , Edward J.
Catalytic Cracking
Charles J. Plank and Edward J. Rosinski invented the first zeolite cat . . . .

Rubin , Benjamin A.
Pronged Vaccinating Needle
Microbiologist Benjamin A. Rubin ground the eyelet of a sewing machine . . . .

Sabine , Wallace
Device for Preventing the Transmission of Sound
Wallace Sabine was an American physicist who created the field of arch . . . .

Sarett , Lewis Hastings
Cortisone
Chemist Lewis Hastings Sarett prepared a synthetic version of the hormone cortisone, which was soon demonstrated as an effective treatment against rheumatoid arthritis. Sarett prepared the first synthetic cortisone in 1944, when Merck & Co. was a participant in a government effort to improve military medicine. Four years later the . . . .

Sasson , Steven
Electronic Still Camera
In 1974, Kodak supervisor Gareth Lloyd asked electrical engineer Steve . . . .

Saxton , Joseph
Measuring instruments

Schawlow , Arthur
Laser
Arthur L. Schawlow was co-inventor of the laser. He worked with Charle . . . .

Schmiegel , Klaus K.
Prozac
Klaus Schmiegel and Bryan Molloy co-invented a class of aryloxyphenylp . . . .

Schultz , Peter C.
Optical Fibers
Corning Glass researchers Robert Maurer, Donald Keck, and Peter Schult . . . .

Seaborg , Glenn T.
Plutonium Isolation
Glenn T. Seaborg was a central figure in the effort to develop atomic . . . .

Seeberger , Charles D.
Escalator

Seiwald , Robert J.
Isothiocyanate Compounds (Antigen)
Antibodies are the body's protectors. When antigens, such as bacteria . . . .

Sellers , William
Improvement in Boring-Mills

Semon , Waldo L.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
In 1926 Waldo Semon, newly employed in the research department at . . . .

Sessler , Gerhard M.
Electret Microphone
Gerhard Sessler and James West invented the foil electret microphone w . . . .

Shannon , Claude
Pulse Code Modulation
Claude Shannon produced one of the great conceptual breakthroughs of h . . . .

Sheehan , John C.
Penicillin
Sir Alexander Fleming's 1928 discovery of penicillin in bread mold was a tremendous breakthrough for medical science. Unfortunately, Fleming's process for harvesting the antibiotic took months to generate a small amount. During World War II, as demand for penicillin rose, researchers worked feverishly to synthesize the penicillin molecule. More than a thousand scientists in 39 U.S. labs became involved in the project. But when the war ended and the molecule still had not revealed its structure, the funds for research ended. From 1948 to 1957 only one laboratory of continued the research-John Sheehan's. In March of 1957, while a professor at the . . . .

Sherman , Patsy
Scotchgard (TM) Textile Protector
Chemist Patsy Sherman and colleague Sam Smith were working at 3M Compa . . . .

Shockley , William Bradford
Transistor
Physicists John Bardeen, William B. Shockley, and Walter Brattain shar . . . .

Sholes , Christopher
Typewriter
Christopher Sholes invented the first practical typewriter and introdu . . . .

Sickels , Frederick Ellsworth
Valve for Steam Engines

Sikorsky , Igor I.
Helicopter
Igor I. Sikorsky designed the world's first successful multimotor airplane and the world's first true production helicopter. From 1925 to 1940 he created a series of increasingly successful aircraft which gained for America numerous world records for speed, range and payload. The famed Sikorsky flying 'Clippers' helped pioneer trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific commercial passenger services.

Despite the success of the flying boats, Sikorsky continued studying the helicopter. His U.S. Patent 1,994,488, filed June 27, 1931, marked the crucial breakthrough. In late 1938, United Aircraft management (now . . . .

Silver , Bernard
Classifying Apparatus and Method
Bob Silver and Joe Woodland invented the first optically scanned barco . . . .

Silver , Spencer
Post It Notes
In 1968, Spencer Silver was a senior scientist working to develop new . . . .

Slater , Samuel
Spinning Machine

Slayter , Russell Games
Fiberglass

Smith , Samuel
Scotchgard (TM) Textile Protector
Chemist Patsy Sherman and colleague Sam Smith were working at 3M Compa . . . .

Smith , George
Charge-coupled device

Spangler , James
Portable electric vacuum cleaner

Spencer , Percy Lebaron
Magnetron
Percy Spencer, while working for the Raytheon Company, discovered a mo . . . .

Sperry , Elmer Ambrose
Gyroscopic Compass
Elmer Ambrose Sperry invented gyroscope-guided automatic pilots for sh . . . .

Sprague , Frank
Electric street car

Srinivasan , Rangaswamy
Excimer Laser Surgery
In 1981, Rangaswamy Srinivasan discovered that an ultraviolet excimer . . . .

Stanley Jr. , William
Alternating Current
In the 1880s every system for distributing electricity used direct cur . . . .

Steinmetz , Charles Proteus
Alternating Current
In 1893, Steinmetz joined the newly organized . . . .

Sternbach , Leo H.
Valium
Leo H. Sternbach is known throughout the scientific world for the disc . . . .

Stevens , John
Steam powered transportation

Stevens , Louis
Data Storage Machine
Data Storage Machine
Stibitz , George R.
Digital Computer
George R. Stibitz is internationally recognized as the father of the m . . . .

Stookey , S. Donald
Glass Ceramics
Donald Stookey invented glass ceramics, materials that embodied import . . . .

Strong , Herbert M.
Synthetic Diamond
Herbert Strong, along with Tracy Hall, Francis Bundy, and Robert Wento . . . .

Strowger , Almon
Automatic telephone dialing system

Sullivan , Eugene C.
PYREX Brand Cookware
Eugene C. Sullivan left the U.S. Geological Survey and came to Corning . . . .

Sundback , Gideon
Modern zipper

Swasey , Ambrose
Telescope

Szilard , Leo
Neutronic Reactor / Nuclear Fission
Leo Szilard, along with Enrico Fermi, was awarded a patent for the nuc . . . .

Tabern , Donalee L.
Pentothal / Anesthesia
Ernest H. Volwiler and Donalee L. Tabern discovered the general anesth . . . .

Tainter , Charles
Sound recording instruments

Takeuchi , Esther S.
Preparation of Silver Vanadium Oxide Cathodes Using Ag(O) and V2O5 as Starting Materials
Energy storage expert Esther Takeuchi led efforts to invent and refine . . . .

Teal , Gordon Kidd
Method of producing a semiconductor element
Gordon Teal began his career in 1930 concentrating on better vacuum tu . . . .

Terry , Eli
Clock

Tesla , Nikola
Alternating Current
Nikola Tesla invented the induction motor with rotating magnetic field that made unit drives for machines feasible and made AC power transmission an economic necessity.

In 1887 and 1888 Tesla had an experimental shop at 89 Liberty Street, New York, and there he invented the induction motor. He sold the invention to . . . .

Thomas , John
Fiberglass

Thomson , Elihu
Electric-Arc Lamp

Tiffany , Louis Comfort
Glass Tile, Mosaic

Timken , Henry
Tapered Roller Bearings
Henry Timken invented the Timken^® tapered roller bearing. H . . . .

Tishler , Max
Vitamins
Organic chemist Max Tishler developed methods for synthesizing the essential vitamin B2 as well as a poultry disease antibiotic that opened the door to broad expansion of the poultry industry.

In 1937 he joined . . . .

Townes , Charles Hard
Laser
Charles Townes' invention of the maser, a device that amplifies electr . . . .

Tyson , Charles W.
Catalytic Cracking
Charles "Wes" Tyson and his three co-inventors at Exxon Rese . . . .

Upjohn , William Erastus
Dissolvable Pills

Van Kannel , Theophilus
Revolving Door

Volwiler , Ernest H.
Pentothal / Anesthesia
Ernest H. Volwiler and Donalee L. Tabern discovered the general anesth . . . .

von Kármán , Theodore
Turbojet
Von Kármán began his research in aerodynamics while teaching at the Un . . . .

von Ohain , Hans J.P.
Jet Engine
In August 1939, at Heinkel Airfield near Rostock, Germany, von Ohain's . . . .

Waksman , Selman
Streptomycin
Selman Waksman revolutionized medicine and saved the lives of countles . . . .

Wang , An
Magnetic Core Memory
An Wang made many notable contributions to the advancement of computer . . . .

Wanlass , Frank
Low stand-by power complementary field effect circuitry
Frank Wanlass invented the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CM . . . .

Waterman , Lewis
Fountain pen

Watson , Thomas A.
Improvements to the Telephone
Thomas Watson is best known for working as Alexander Graham Bell’s ass . . . .

Welsbach , Carl A. von
Improvements to Gas Lighting
Carl Auer von Welsbach, an Austrian scientist and inventor, had a tale . . . .

Wentorf Jr. , Robert
Synthetic Diamond
Robert Wentorf, along with Tracy Hall, Francis Bundy, and Herbert Stro . . . .

West , James E.
Electret Microphone
In 1962, James West and Gerhard Sessler patented the electret micropho . . . .

Westinghouse Jr. , George
Alternating Current
George Westinghouse invented a system of air brakes that made travel by train safe and built one of the greatest electric manufacturing organizations in the United States.

After briefly attending . . . .

Weston , Edward
Portable voltmeter

Whipple , Squire
Iron Truss Bridge

Whitcomb , Richard
Supercritical Wing
In the years after World War II, military aviators found it so hard to . . . .

White , Rollin Henry
Steam Generator; Controlled Differential
Rollin H. White contributed to the development of steam generation in . . . .

Whitney , Eli
Cotton Gin
American inventor, pioneer, mechanical engineer, and manufacturer Eli Whitney is best remembered as the inventor of the cotton gin. He also affected the industrial development of the United States when, in manufacturing muskets for the government, he translated the concept of interchangeable parts into a manufacturing system, giving birth to the American mass-production concept. Whitney saw that a machine to clean the seed from cotton could make the South prosperous and make its inventor rich. He set to work at once and within days had drawn a sketch to explain his idea; 10 days later he constructed a crude model that separated fiber from seed.

After perfecting his machine he filed an application for a patent on June 20, 1793; in February 1794 he deposited a model at the . . . .

Whittle , Frank
Jet Engine
Inheriting an inventiveness and love of things mechanical from his fat . . . .

Wichterle , Otto
Soft Contact Lens

Widlar , Robert J.
Biasing scheme especially suited for integrated circuits
Bob Widlar is considered the father of the analog monolithic integrate . . . .

Wilcox , Stephen
Steam Generator
Stephen Wilcox worked with George Babcock to invent the water tube ste . . . .

Williams , Robert R.
Vitamins
Robert R. Williams, Jr., was a telephone company researcher who in his spare time developed ways to synthesize vitamins that helped fight malnutrition and vitamin-deficiency diseases.

The vitamin research was conducted in his spare time with the aid of grants and space provided by . . . .

Williams , Sam
Small Fan-Jet Engine
"It's interesting to look back and see what the pioneers did and see h . . . .

Winslow , Field H.
Polymer Cable Sheath
By finding a way to stabilize the polymers used to coat communications . . . .

Winton , Alexander
Automobile, bicycle, and diesel applications

Woodland , N. Joseph
Classifying Apparatus and Method
Joe Woodland and Bob Silver invented the first optically scanned barco . . . .

Woods , Granville
Railway Telegraphy

Wozniak , Steve
Personal Computer
Wozniak's Apple II personal computer - introduced in 1977 and featurin . . . .

Wright , Orville
Airplane
Orville and Wilbur Wright, American inventors and aviation pioneers, a . . . .

Wright , Wilbur
Airplane
Orville and Wilbur Wright, American inventors and aviation pioneers, a . . . .

Wynne , James J.
LASIK Eye Surgery
James Wynne is co-inventor of a process using a short pulse ultraviole . . . .

Yale , Linus Jr.
Door lock

Zamboni , Frank J.
Ice-Rink Resurfacing Machine

Zeppelin , Ferdinand von
Rigid airship

Zworykin , Vladimir Kosma
Cathode-Ray Tube
Most people think of television as a development of the mid-20th centu . . . .