Our history is rich with wonderful people who were visionaries in their own time, and this list is just a few of the people who molded our world into the technological culture that we live in today.
Benjamin Franklin
Interested in finding ways to help colonial America live better, Benjamin Franklin made many important discoveries and advancements in his lifetime. In fact, Franklin was one of the first major investigators of electricity. His infamous proposal of flying a kite in a storm in order to prove that lightning was electricity led to the invention of the lightning rod. [1]
He also founded the Franklin stove, a metal-lined fireplace with baffles in the rear designed to improve airflow, providing more heat and less smoke than an ordinary fireplace. [2]
Franklin’s obsession with improving America’s way of living inspired later energy pioneers such as Thomas Edison. In regard to electricity, Franklin’s lightning rod invention is still used today and prevents trees, monuments, bridges, water vessels, and buildings from lightning damage. Also, the Franklin stove is similar to many American fireplaces that, more than 250 years later, are still in use around the world. [3]
Georg Simon Ohm
After learning of the discovery of electromagnetism, Ohm established a law known today as "Ohm's Law," which defines the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance in a simple electrical circuit. In simple terms, this discovery showed that there was a direct proportion between the voltage applied across a conductor and the resultant electric current. Surprisingly, Ohm's colleagues dismissed his ideas. [4] However, the Royal Society eventually recognized his work and presented him with the Copley Medal award in 1841. [5]
His ideas were the beginning of future analysis of electric circuits and strongly influenced energy theories. Paving the way for future electromagnetism studies, his theories have yet to be contradictory with modern day discoveries.
Thomas Edison
Holding over 1,000 U.S. patents in his name, Edison developed many devices that influence the modern world of today. His most popular inventions include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and an electric light bulb. [6] In relation to energy use, Edison originated the concept of electric-power generation and implemented its distribution to homes, businesses, and factories.
In terms of today’s energy usage, Edison was a pioneer in renewable energy and was the first to experiment with home-based wind turbines. Knowing that fossil fuels would not last forever, he teamed up with Henry Ford to develop an electric car that ran on rechargeable batteries. [7]
Nikola Tesla
Because of his outlandish personality and unconventional scientific claims, many know Tesla as the "mad scientist" of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By using a radio to demonstrate wireless communication, he patented the basic system of radio. He also was the first to point out that Thomas Edison’s direct current electrical powerhouses were weak and inefficient. Believing that all energy was cyclic, he created a patent containing the basis of modern alternating current systems which was eventually bought by Westinghouse and replaced generators using a direct current system. [8]
Considered the "Father of Free Energy," Tesla introduced wireless energy to the world. Since the late 1800s, his invention of the Tesla coil has been modified and has proven to be a reliable source for street lighting and even cable TV. With his introduction of the AC motor, Tesla ushered in the Second Industrial Revolution and is one of the most celebrated personalities in the American press of his century. [9]
Albert Einstein
Regarded as the father of modern physics, Albert Einstein made many contributions to science and is a key figure in the history of energy. At 4 years old, Einstein had his first realization of gravity when his father showed him a pocket compass. In 1905, he was 26 years of age and he published four groundbreaking papers in that single year. These papers included theories on the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity, and the equivalence of matter and energy.
Einstein's ideas are the key to understanding the most basic processes of the universe as we know it. For example, microscopic radioactivity can be understood through his infamous equation, E=MC². This equation also describes what is happening when nuclear energy is produced. In fact, the mushroom cloud of the atomic bomb is the equation in concrete form. It is through his theories that we have been able understand and harness the enormous energy of the atom.
Maria Goeppert-Mayer
Maria Goeppert-Mayer was the first to develop a model for the structure of atomic nuclei. Performing much of her scientific research as a volunteer, Goeppert-Mayer did not receive payment for her achievements. In fact, she was unable to receive a full-time job until she was 53 because of her gender. However, she gained experience through many honorable positions, including working on the separation of uranium isotopes at Columbia University and serving as a professor in the Physics Department at the University of Chicago. [10] In 1963, Goeppert-Mayer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Physics for her work on the nuclear shell model. [11]
Thanks to Goeppert-Mayer’s theory of “magic numbers,” physicians can now understand why some nucleons have a higher average binding energy per nucleon and why they are more stable against nuclear decay. She also opened many doors, breaking barriers for women who wanted to pursue a degree in physics. Much of our understanding of the energy inherent in our universe and at the most basic levels is based upon our understanding gained from physicists like Mayer. [12]
Roscoe L. Koontz
Through his participation in the first Atomic Energy Health Physics Fellowship Training Program at the University of Rochester, Koontz helped in the design and fabrication of automatic air and water sampling equipment and radiation activity measuring devices. He is also known for inventing the pinhole gamma ray camera, which is known today as a collimator. Once health physics became a recognized profession, instructors and original students, like Koontz, originated many of today’s practices and techniques used to protect people from the hazards of ionizing radiation. [13]
Koontz’s invention of the collimator enabled linear accelerators, used for radiotherapy treatments, to shape the beam of radiation emerging from the machine. Without the early efforts of Koontz and the other instructors and students in the first Atomic Energy Health Physics Fellowship, health physicians may not have had such strict procedures to follow when performing x-rays and other hazardous radiation measures. Koontz's place in energy history lies in his enormous contributions to the harnessing of energy toward health. [14] [15]
J. Robert Oppenheimer
As the director of the team who designed and built the first atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer witnessed the first explosion of an atomic bomb in the New Mexico desert. Within the following month, two atomic bombs from his team were dropped on Japanese cities. He also chaired the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. While serving, he opposed the idea of developing an even more powerful hydrogen bomb. This led people to believe that he had communist sympathies and his security clearance was taken away. [16]
Although Oppenheimer’s career may be under high criticism by many, his help in developing the first U.S. nuclear power industry had a huge impact on the way energy is generated. Currently, the U.S. nuclear power industry generates 20% of the nation’s electricity.
Louis Roberts
Louis Roberts was an author of papers on electromagnetism, optics, and microwaves. Also, he served as Director of Research for Microwave Associates and was also the Director of Energy and Environment at the Transportation System Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Roberts eventually founded his own microwave company in order to continue development of microwave applications. [17]
Roberts' company served as a catalyst, ultimately forming three other research companies that assisted in the development of the microwave field. While serving as Director at the Transportation Center, Roberts helped develop energy conservation practices for transportation industries by configuring ways to reduce fuel consumption.
Rufus Stokes
After being granted a patent on an air-purification device to reduce the gas and ash emissions of furnace and power plant smokestack emissions, Rufus Stokes invented several models of stack filters. Once testing each one, Stokes developed the “clean air machine.” A smaller domestic version and a larger mobile version were later created by Stokes in order to show its versatility. He also founded the Air Pollution Control Corporation of America.
Stokes’ invention pioneered the idea that more measures could be taken in order to reduce pollution and harmful gases in the atmosphere. His air pollution control device has eased health risks among plants and animals and improved the appearance of buildings and cars which were exposed to outdoor pollution for long periods of time. Particularly aiding in respiratory health, his invention helps everyone breathe easier.
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Sources:
1. http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/lightningrod.htm
2. http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/frankstove.htm
3. http://inventors.about.com/od/estartinventors/a/Edison_Bio.htm
4. http://www.the12volt.com/ohm/ohmslaw.asp
5. http://royalsociety.org/Copley-Medal/
6. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edcyldr.html
7. http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/223/electric-car-timeline.html
8. http://www.westinghouse.com/
9. http://www.teslasociety.com/teslacoil.htm
10. http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/intro/u-isotopes.htm
11. http://webapps.jhu.edu/jhuniverse/information_about_hopkins/facts_and_statistics/nobel_prize_winners/index.cfm
12. http://www.osti.gov/accomplishments/mayer.html
13. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collimator
14. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=linac
15. http://www.healthcastle.com/radiotherapy.shtml
16. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0824719.html
17. http://www.volpe.dot.gov/infosrc/journal/index.html
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