Famous Inventors Born in September!

Milton Snavely Hershey

Date of Birth: September 13, 1857

American manufacturer, founded the Hershey Chocolate Company.

• Founding of the Hershey Chocolate Company (1894): Milton Hershey established the Hershey Chocolate Company, pioneering the mass production of affordable milk chocolate. His innovative methods and focus on quality helped make chocolate a popular treat across America.

• Creation of Hershey, Pennsylvania (1903): In 1903, Hershey founded a model town around his chocolate factory, providing housing, education, and recreational facilities for employees. This town, known as Hershey, Pennsylvania, was built to foster a positive community for workers and their families.

Jan Matzeliger

Date of Birth: September 15, 1852

• The invention of the Shoe Lasting Machine (1883): Matzeliger invented the shoe lasting machine, which mechanized the process of attaching the upper part of a shoe to the sole. Before his invention, this labor-intensive process was done manually by skilled workers known as “lasters.”

Jean-Sylvain Bailly

Date of Birth: September 15, 1736

French astronomer, computed an orbit for Halley’s Comet in 1759.

• Astronomical Research (Late 18th Century): Bailly was a prominent astronomer who studied the moons of Jupiter, the orbits of comets, and the history of astronomy. He published several works on these topics, including a comprehensive history of ancient and modern astronomy.

Elizabeth Stern

Date of Birth: September 19, 1915

American first pathologist who works on the progression of a cell from normality to cancerous.

• Cervical Cancer Progression: Stern was one of the first to describe the stages from normal cells to cancerous cells in the cervix, demonstrating that cervical cancer develops gradually through identifiable precancerous stages.

• Linking Risk Factors to Cancer: In 1973, she linked lifestyle factors, like oral contraceptive use and sexual behavior, to increased cervical cancer risk, promoting early detection and prevention strategies.

• Advocacy for Early Detection: Stern’s work emphasized the importance of cytopathology and regular Pap smear screenings, significantly contributing to the reduction of cervical cancer mortality rates.

Louis Paul Cailletet

Date of Birth: September 21, 1832

French physicist and inventor, the first to liquefy oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and air.

• Liquefaction of Gases (1877): Cailletet was one of the first scientists to successfully liquefy oxygen and nitrogen. In 1877, using a method involving rapid compression and cooling followed by sudden decompression, he achieved the first visible drops of liquid oxygen and nitrogen.
• Cryogenic Research: His experiments paved the way for further research in the field of cryogenics, contributing to the understanding of the properties of gases at extremely low temperatures.
• Inventions and Discoveries: Cailletet invented several devices for compressing gases and designed various apparatuses for his liquefaction experiments.