Theodore Maiman (July 11, 1927 – May 5, 2007) was an American engineer and physicist who is widely credited with the invention of the laser. Maiman’s laser led to the subsequent development of many other types of lasers.
The laser was successfully fired on May 16, 1960. In a July 7, 1960, press conference in Manhattan, Maiman and his employer, Hughes Aircraft Company, announced the laser to the world. Maiman was granted a patent for his invention, and he received many awards and honors for his work.
His experiences in developing the first laser and subsequent related events are recounted in his book, The Laser Odyssey, later being republished in 2018 under a new title, The Laser Inventor: Memoirs of Theodore H. Maiman.
— Wikipedia
Quote: “Theodore Maiman’s contribution, the first operating laser on Earth (they have now been found to occur naturally in astronomical objects) was truly historic, and has been widely recognized. He was chosen to be a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame and of the US National Academies, and received many awards, including the Wolf Prize in Physics, the Oliver Buckley Prize and the Japan Prize.”
— Nature.com
Learn more about Theodore Maiman from Wikipedia. ►
Watch “In this video from 1983, Ted Maiman recalls the birth of the laser in his lab at Hughes” [4:50]. ►
Watch “50 Years of the Laser Marking Theodore Maiman’s Revolutionary Invention” [8:09]. ►
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