Amar Bose

If you're serious about your stereo equipment you probably own or have owned Bose speakers. Amar Bose was born and raised in Philadelphia, the son of a political dissident who moved from Calcutta. As a teenager, Bose earned money by repairing model trains and then transistors, practical experience which helped when he went on to MIT to study electrical engineering. Acoustics caught his interest and he aimed to design a speaker that would emulate the symphony hall experience in the home. His speaker system was one of the first to make use of sound reflecting off walls and the ceiling. In 1964 he founded the Bose Corporation, which has developed car stereo systems, the Wave radio, as well as noise canceling headsets used by pilots and space-shuttle astronauts.