Famous Inventors Born in August!
Sergey Brin
Date of Birth: August 21, 1973
Computer scientist who co-founded Google with Larry Page.
- Google Search Engine (1998): Co-developed with Larry Page, introducing the revolutionary PageRank algorithm to rank web pages based on backlink relevance.
- BackRub Prototype (1996): The precursor to Google, which processed queries and ranked backlinks by importance.
- Data Mining Systems: Brin’s expertise in data mining systems contributed significantly to the development of Google’s search capabilities.
Denton A Cooley
Date of Birth: August 22, 1920
A heart surgeon who performed the first artificial heart transplant.
- First Total Artificial Heart Implantation (1969): Performed the first successful implantation of a total artificial heart designed by Domingo Liotta in a patient who lived for 65 hours.
- Artificial Heart Valves (1962-1967): Developed new artificial heart valves, reducing mortality from heart valve transplants from 70% to 8%.
- Founder (1962): Established The Texas Heart Institute with private funds, becoming a leading center for cardiovascular surgery and research.
Joshua Cowen
Date of Birth: August 24, 1880
- Scientist who helped invent the flashlight and the electric toy train.
- Photographer’s Flash Device (1899): Received his first patent for a device that ignited a photographer’s flash.
- Mine Fuses for U.S. Navy (1899): Secured a defense contract to produce mine fuses, earning $12,000.
- Founded Lionel Corporation in New York City, which became a leading manufacturer of model railroads and toy trains.
- First Electric Train (1901): Developed and sold his first electric train as a storefront display. Its success led to increased production and sales.
- He created a battery-powered fan motor that he later adapted to power a small model train.
The Montgolfier brothers-Joseph-Michel Montgolfier
Date of Birth: August 26, 1740
French aeronaut who invented successful hot air ballooning.
First Piloted Ascent (1783): Invented the Montgolfière-style hot air balloon, enabling the first confirmed human-piloted ascent by Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier.
- First Living Creatures in Flight (19 September 1783): Flew a sheep, a duck, and a rooster in a balloon before King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette.
- First Human Flight (21 November 1783): Conducted the first free flight by humans with Pilâtre de Rozier and the marquis d’Arlandes.
- Demonstrated the balloon to dignitaries, leading to widespread recognition.
- Self-Acting Hydraulic Ram (1796): Invented by Joseph-Michel, this device was a water pump used to raise water for his paper mill.
- Transparent Paper Manufacturing: The brothers developed a process to manufacture transparent paper similar to vellum.
- First Female Aeronaut (1784): Élisabeth Thible became the first woman to fly in a hot air balloon christened La Gustave.
Charles Stewart Rolls
Date of Birth: August 27, 1877
British auto manufacturer and founder of Rolls-Royce Ltd who invented the Rolls-Royce.
- Rolls-Royce 10 hp (1904): Co-founded Rolls-Royce with Henry Royce, leading to the creation of the first Rolls-Royce car, unveiled at the Paris Salon.
- Formation of Rolls-Royce Limited (1906): Formalized the partnership, becoming Technical Managing Director and promoting the brand’s reputation for quality and reliability.
- Pioneering Flights: Rolls was an aviation enthusiast and early adopter of powered flight.
- Publicity and Promotion: Played a key role in promoting the quietness and smoothness of Rolls-Royce cars, including a promotional trip to the US in 1906.
About The Author
Angelina Kushnarova
Angelina Kushnarova (Sverediuk) was born in Ukraine. She graduated from Ternopil Medical University with a specialization in Medicine and completed an internship in Radiology at Lviv University. She worked as a Radiologist, while also working as a web developer.