Theodore Maiman (July 11, 1927 — May 5, 2007) was an engineer and physicist who is widely credited with the invention of the laser. Maiman’s functioning laser led to the subsequent development of many other types of lasers. The Maiman 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: “Inventing the laser was a pretty big deal with enormous consequences, and like a good scientist, Dr. Maiman submitted his findings to Physical Review Letters, a respected scientific journal. ‘Within just two days,’ Maiman later wrote, the journal’s editor sent him ‘a curt reply of rejection.’ In short, the editor called Maiman’s unprecedented findings old news.”
“Maiman, undaunted, submitted his findings to the highly regarded and incredibly selective Nature, which went on to publish Maiman’s report. Charles Townes, a Nobel Prize laureate for his work on masers and lasers, called Maiman’s submission ‘the most important per word of any of the wonderful papers’ in Nature’s century of publishing.’ ”
— Mental Floss
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