Gordon Gould – 17 July Inventor of Laser
Gordon Gould (Birth Date -July 17, 1920 | Death Date-September 16, 2005) was an American physicist who is widely, but not universally, credited with the invention of the laser (Others attribute the invention to Theodore Maiman). Gordon is best known for his thirty-year fight with the US (United States) Patent and Trademark Office to obtain patents for the laser and related technologies. He also fought with laser manufacturers in court battles to enforce the patents he subsequently did obtain.
Developing the LASER
In his post-war years, he worked for various private engineering firms while teaching at different institutions, including City College of New York (1947–’54), Columbia University (1954–’57) and Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute (1967–’74). While working at Columbia with Charles Townes and others, he contributed to the development of the laser. He would claim greater credit for the laser than others have been willing to grant him, but he was named the inventor of the year in 1978 by the Patent Office Society for his laser amplifier.
National Doctors’ Day – 1st July 2018 | Nikola Tesla (10 July 1856 – 7 January 1943) |
