Showing 76 - 100 of 240 results
Seymour Cray
Supercomputer
Seymour Cray unveiled the CRAY-1 in 1976, considered the first supercomputer. Born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, Cray was interested in chemistry and…
Theodore Harold Maiman
Laser
Physicist Theodore Harold Maiman invented the first operable laser. Born in Los Angeles, California, Maiman in his teens earned college money by…
Nicolaus August Otto
Gas-Motor Engine
Engineer Nicolaus August Otto invented the first practical alternative to the steam engine. Born in Holzhausen, Germany, Otto built his first gas…
Charles Franklin Kettering
Electrical Ignition System
Charles Franklin Kettering invented the first electrical ignition system and the self-starter for automobile engines and the first practical engine-…
Louis Marius Moyroud
Photo Composing Machine
Louis Marius Moyroud and Rene Higonnet developed the first practical phototypesetting machine. This, along with Merganthaler's Linotype machine, is…
Robert S. Ledley
CT Scan
Robert S. Ledley invented the whole-body CT (computerized tomographic) diagnostic X-ray scanner. Born in New York City, Ledley earned a D.D.S. from…
Thomas Midgley, Jr.
Ethyl Gasoline
Thomas Midgley solved the problem of engine knock by creating tetraethyl lead gasoline. His gasoline allowed high performance engines to operate…
Ed Morgan
Tubular Steel Track Roller Coaster
Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon set the standard for roller coaster design technology when they engineered the world’s first tubular steel track roller…
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…
Thomas Seavey Hall
Improvement in Electrical Signals
The 1860s and 1870s were pivotal decades for improving safety in the railroad industry. Many of these innovations were invented by Thomas Seavey Hall…
Robert H. Dennard
Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)
Robert Heath Dennard invented one-transistor Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), which significantly increased computer memory density while…
Harold Stephen Black
Negative Feedback Amplifier
Research engineer Harold S. Black revolutionized telecommunications by inventing systems that eliminated feedback distortion in telephone calls. Born…
Charles Stark Draper
Stabilizing Gyroscope
Aeronautical engineer and university professor Charles Stark Draper developed gyroscope systems that stabilized and balanced gunsights and bombsights…
Rodney D. Bagley
Ceramic Substrate in Catalytic Converters
Rodney Bagley was on the Corning team that created the ceramic substrate inside catalytic converters. His work was instrumental in allowing the…
Valdemar Poulsen
Magnetic Wire Recorder
Danish engineer Valdemar Poulsen demonstrated magnetic recording in 1898. While working at the Copenhagen Telephone Company, Poulsen began…
Bradford Parkinson
Global Positioning System
Bradford Parkinson developed the Global Positioning System, a locational and navigational system that allows users to determine their location with…
Robert A. Moog
Moog Synthesizer
In 1964, inventor Bob Moog introduced the first complete voltage controlled modular synthesizer, an instrument capable of producing a wide variety of…
Charles W. Tyson
Fluid Catalytic Cracking
Charles "Wes" Tyson and his three co-inventors at Exxon Research & Engineering Co. (ER&E), called the Four Horsemen, were part of the team…
Amos Joel, Jr.
Mobile Communication System
Amos Joel pioneered the system for cell phones of switching communication links from one cell region to another in response to movement, while…
Victor B. Lawrence
Signal Processing in Telecommunications
Victor Lawrence has improved transmission for the modern internet, made high-speed connections more available and stimulated the growth of the global…
George de Mestral
VELCRO® Fasteners
In 1955, George de Mestral patented VELCRO® hook and loop fasteners, an efficient way to fasten fabrics and other materials. The idea came to him…
John Roebling
Suspension Bridge
In 1841, John Roebling invented a wire rope in order to improve upon the bulkier and weaker hemp fiber rope being used to haul canal boats along the…
Ashok Gadgil
Water Disinfecting Device
Physicist Ashok Gadgil developed inventions including UV Waterworks and the Berkeley-Darfur stove, enabling access to clean drinking water and…
Ambrose Swasey
Telescope
Ambrose Swasey, inventor of precise astronomical instruments, designed some of the most powerful and accurate telescopes of his day.Swasey was born…
Maria Telkes
Solar Thermal Storage Systems
Maria Telkes was a highly respected innovator in solar energy. Throughout her career, she published widely on the topics of solar heating,…