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Learn About Famous Inventors Who Have Changed the World

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Browse List of Inductees
Showing 26 - 50 of 53 results

James Ritty

Mechanical Cash Register

Brothers James and John Ritty developed a working version of a mechanical cash register for use at James' saloon in Dayton, Ohio. In 1878, while on…
Inducted in: 2011
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 221,360
Died:
Military Service: U.S. Army

Harvey Firestone

Pneumatic Rubber Tires

Harvey Firestone's extensive contributions to the tire industry allowed him to create a company that served as the vanguard of innovation in the…
Inducted in: 2006
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 646,274
Died:

Michael J. Owens

Glass-Shaping Machine

Michael Owens played a major role in the history of glass product manufacturing with his automatic glass-blowing machine. Born in Mason County, West…
Inducted in: 2007
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 766,768
Died:
Irwin M. Lachman

Irwin M. Lachman

Ceramic Substrate in Catalytic Converters

Working at Corning, Irwin Lachman co-invented the ceramic substrate found in virtually all catalytic converters. Catalytic converters provide cleaner…
Inducted in: 2002
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 3,885,977
Died:
Military Service: U.S. Air Force

George R. Stibitz

Digital Computer

George R. Stibitz is recognized as the father of the modern digital computer. Born in York, Pennsylvania, Stibitz attended Moraine Park, an…
Inducted in: 1983
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 2,668,661
Died:

Andrew Alford

Localizer Antenna System

Andrew Alford invented and developed antennas for radio navigation systems, including VOR and instrument landing systems featuring the "Alford Loop…
Inducted in: 1983
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 2,682,050
Died:

Paul Christian Lauterbur

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

By developing the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to create images of organs, joints and other tissues in the human body, Paul Lauterbur…
Inducted in: 2007
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 5,081,992
Died:
Military Service: U.S. Army

Lester A. Pelton

Water Wheel
One of the fathers of hydroelectric power, Lester Pelton invented the first water wheel to take advantage of the kinetic energy of water rather than…
Inducted in: 2006
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 233,692
Died:
Wilbur Wright

Wilbur Wright

Airplane

Orville and Wilbur Wright, American inventors and aviation pioneers, achieved the first powered, sustained, and controlled flight of an airplane. The…
Inducted in: 1975
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 821,393
Died:
Virginia Holsinger

Virginia Holsinger

Dairy Product Innovations

Virginia Holsinger made healthier dairy products accessible worldwide. Her research on enzymes and digestion not only advanced the dairy industry but…
Inducted in: 2025
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 6,258,391
Died:
George Carruthers

George R. Carruthers

Far Ultraviolet Electrographic Camera

George Carruthers invented the far ultraviolet electrographic camera, or spectrograph, using ultraviolet light to make significant advances in…
Inducted in: 2003
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 3,478,216
Died:

John Ritty

Mechanical Cash Register

Brothers James and John Ritty invented a working version of a mechanical cash register for use at James' saloon in Dayton, Ohio. In 1878, while on a…
Inducted in: 2011
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 221,360
Died:
Military Service: U.S. Army
Elmer Ambrose Sperry headshot

Elmer Ambrose Sperry

Gyroscopic Compass

Elmer Ambrose Sperry invented gyroscopic-guided automatic pilots for ships and airplanes that have also been applied to spacecraft. Born in Cortland…
Inducted in: 1991
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 1,242,065
Died:

Waldo L. Semon

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

In 1926, Waldo Semon, newly employed at The BF Goodrich Company in Akron, Ohio, decided to pursue a dubious project. He began trying to dissolve an…
Inducted in: 1995
Born:
U.S. Patent Nos.: 1,929,453, 2,188,396
Died:
Elisha Gray

Elisha Gray

Telegraphic Instruments

Elisha Gray made many contributions to the telegraph and telephone industries, including his invention of the telautograph, a forerunner of the…
Inducted in: 2007
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 461,470
Died:

George Hulett

Loading and Unloading Machine

George Hulett invented the automatic unloading machine that revolutionized ore shipping and advanced the economies and industries of Great Lakes port…
Inducted in: 2006
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 652,313
Died:
Josephine Garis Cochran

Josephine Garis Cochran

Dishwasher

Josephine Cochran invented the first practical dishwasher and formed the Garis-Cochran Dish-Washing Co. to manufacture and market it.Cochran was born…
Inducted in: 2006
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 355,139
Died:

Henry Timken

Tapered Roller Bearings

Henry Timken invented the Timken® tapered roller bearing. He found that conventional bearings of the 19th century worked well at reducing friction,…
Inducted in: 1998
Born:
U.S. Patent Nos.: 606,635, 606,636
Died:
Military Service: U.S. Army

James L. Fergason

Liquid Crystal Display

James Fergason held a series of patents that form the foundation of the multi-billion dollar LCD industry which has been rapidly growing since 1971.…
Inducted in: 1998
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 3,731,986
Died:
Military Service: U.S. Army

Stephen Wilcox, Jr.

Improvement in Steam Generators

Stephen Wilcox worked with George Babcock to invent the water tube steam boiler. This boiler allowed safer and more efficient production of steam.…
Inducted in: 1997
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 65,042
Died:

Robert Widlar

Linear Integrated Circuits

Bob Widlar is considered the father of the analog monolithic integrated circuit. Called linear ICs, these tiny silicon chips process real-world…
Inducted in: 2009
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 3,364,434
Died:
Military Service: U.S. Air Force
Helen Free

Helen M. Free

Glucose Detection for Diabetes

Helen Murray Free was a pioneer in diagnostic chemistry. Her lifesaving research in medical and clinical urinary testing led to convenient dip-and-…
Inducted in: 2000
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 2,912,309
Died:

George H. Babcock

Improvement in Steam Generators

George H. Babcock and Stephen Wilcox invented an improved water tube steam boiler, which provided a safer and more efficient production of steam.…
Inducted in: 1997
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 65,042
Died:
Hans von Ohain

Hans J.P. von Ohain

Turbojet Engine

On the brink of World War II, Hans von Ohain developed a working turbojet engine in Germany, helping to catapult the aeronautical world into the next…
Inducted in: 2003
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 2,911,189
Died:

Samuel Alderson

Crash Test Dummy

Physicist, inventor, and engineer Samuel W. Alderson was a pioneer in developing the automotive crash-test dummy. Formally known as an ATD for…
Inducted in: 2013
Born:
U.S. Patent No.: 3,010,223
Died: