FAMOUS INVENTORS 2

A - EDWIN LAND

Connecticut physicist and inventor Edwin Land didn’t invent photography, of course, but he invented or perfected almost everything else to do with it. While a freshman at Harvard University in 1926, he developed a new kind of polarizer by aligning and embedding crystals in a plastic sheet, which he called Polaroid. Later, joined by other young scientists, he applied the polarizing principle to light filters, optical devices, and motion picture processes and founded the Polaroid Corporation in the process. Holder of no fewer than 535 U.S. Patents, Land is probably best known for developing the first selfdeveloping camera, making it possible to embarrass your friends on the spot rather than having to wait for the film be developed at a shop before humiliating them.

B - NIKOLA TESLA 

Though largely unknown during his lifetime and a man who died in relative obscurity, the brilliant Nikola Tesla—who is enjoying a growing popularity lately—was probably more responsible for the birth of commercial electricity than any man in history. While Tesla’s patents and theoretical work formed the basis of modern alternating current (AC) electric power systems, including the polyphase system of electrical distribution and the AC motor which helped usher in the Second Industrial Revolution, he is probably best known for his work in the field of electromagnetism. He also contributed in varying degrees to the science of robotics, laid the foundation for the development of remote control, radar, and computer science, and even helped in the expansion of ballistics, nuclear physics, and theoretical physics. Some people also believe he developed anti-gravity, teleportation, and even death rays, but that’s a bit more difficult to substantiate. In any case, with 111 patents to his credit, he was genuinely one of the finest and most innovative minds in history whose recognition has been long in coming.

C - ARCHIMEDES OF SYRACUSE

Archimedes happened to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all time who came close to precisely calculating the value of pi, and thought up lots of other stuff that brings nightmares to generations of high school math students on a daily basis. He also invented a lot of machines, including siege weapons and possibly even a device that may have been capable of setting Roman ships on fire by using mirrors to focus sunlight onto their sails. So how does that make him deserving of eternal fame? Because he did all of this more than 2,000 years ago, and without the aid of computers or the benefit of the technologies available to many inventors today. Additionally, though he may have studied at the libraries at Alexandria, he acquired much of this knowledge the old fashioned way—by thinking it up himself. Considering the times in which he lived and the obstacles he faced, he gets my vote for being the greatest inventor of all time.

D - JEROME "JERRY" HAL LEMELSON

Jerome Hal Lemelson was one of the most prolific inventors in history, with 605 patents to his credit. What did he invent? Things like automated warehouses, industrial robots, cordless telephones, fax machines, videocassette recorders, camcorders and the magnetic tape drive used in Sony’s Walkman tape players. Lemelson also filed patents in the fields of medical instrumentation, cancer detection and treatment, diamond coating technologies, and consumer electronics and television. He was probably best known, however, as a tireless advocate for the rights of independent inventors, which made him a controversial figure by patent attorneys and some of the larger companies, but a champion of the community of independent inventors.

Adapted from world-top-10.com