American musician and conductorBorn: September 26, 1899 Birthplace: Anniston, Ala. William Levi Dawson attended the Tuskegee Institute at age 13, and after graduating in 1921, went on to receive a…
U.S. government official; civil rights advocate Born: November 17, 1904Birthplace: Knoxville, Tennessee Hastie received a BA from Amherst, where he finished first in his class, and then received a…
Born: 1910Birthplace: London, England Transistor—Bardeen, Shockley and Brattain shared the 1956 Nobel Prize for Physics for the invention of the transistor. The transistor replaced the vacuum tube…
Born: 1857Birthplace: Rochester, N.Y Calculating machine—In 1885 Burroughs submitted his first patent for his “calculating machine. ” This first model needed a special knack to use and Burroughs…
Born: 1865Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio Manufacture of gasoline—Burton developed the high heat and high pressure cracking process of fuel oil which more than doubled the potential yield of gasoline…
Born: 1873Birthplace: Hudson, Mass. Vacuum tube—Coolidge invented ductile tungsten, the filament material still used in incandescent lamps. He also invented the “Coolidge tube”, the model upon…
Born: 1908Birthplace: Bristol, Pa. Polyurethane—The Hanford and Holmes process is the basis today for the manufacture of all polyurethane. Polyurethane is used as an upholstery material, heat…
Born: 1913Birthplace: Ann Arbor, Mich. Variable frequency oscillation generator—Also known as the “audio oscillator,” this was the first practical method of generating high-quality audio…
Born: 1858Birthplace: Brooklyn, N.Y. Induction coil—Stanley designed a practical induction coil system that varied alternating current (AC) voltage. His coil became the prototype for all future…
