7 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
Swedish inventor and entrepreneur who invented dynamite — holding 355 patents — accumulated an enormous fortune, and established the Nobel Prize with his will in response to a premature obituary that called him 'the merchant of death.'
American inventor and head of General Motors Research (1920–1947) who invented the electric car starter (eliminating the hand crank), leaded gasoline, and Freon refrigerant — making him one of the most impactful (and, later, controversial) inventors of the 20th century.
American inventor and entrepreneur — founder of Polaroid Corporation — inventor of the Polaroid instant camera and polarizing film — one of Steve Jobs's primary inspirations for combining technology with liberal arts.
Austrian-American actress and inventor who co-invented spread spectrum frequency hopping communication with composer George Antheil during WWII — a patent that expired unmonetized but became the technical foundation for Bluetooth, WiFi, and CDMA.
Serbian-American inventor — who developed alternating current (AC) electrical systems, the Tesla coil, the induction motor, and made fundamental contributions to radio — whose work enabled the electrification of the world but who died penniless and alone.
American inventor and entrepreneur — who invented the phonograph, the practical incandescent lightbulb, the motion picture camera, and the electrical power distribution system — with 1,093 US patents — who created Menlo Park, the first industrial research laboratory.
Orville and Wilbur Wright — American bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio — who achieved the first successful powered airplane flight at Kitty Hawk (December 17, 1903) — without a university education, government funding, or the resources of their better-funded competitors.