Memorial Day is the time for remembering those individuals who have died while serving in the country’s military unit or armed forces. It is observed each year during the last Monday of May and was formerly known as “Decoration Day.” It originated after the American Civil War, for the purpose of commemorating the soldiers whom died in the battle.
The present generation may not appreciate this holiday as much as the past generations but remembering those brave folks can help us understand what happened in the past and why it’s important to celebrate this event.
Memorial Day is fast approaching. It’s time once again to pay tribute to the people from the past who made a difference. Let’s try to focus on a few good men who excelled in electronics. Now, that would be something new for a change. Here are 3 of them:
1. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Do you believe that even a 7-year-old knows him? He’s definitely famous for his photos in science books and encyclopedias where he was flying a kite with a key! What do you think that was for?
Franklin was a major figure in the history of physics and the American Enlightenment for his discoveries and theories about electricity. He invented the bifocals, lightning rod, the glass ‘armonica’, the Franklin stove, and a carriage odometer. He was the one who theorized about the electrical fluid’s existence that could be made up of particles, and also known as the famous inventor who did an experiment with static charges in the air.
2. Lee de Forest (1873-1961)
He may not be as popular to kids like Benjamin Franklin, but this guy has definitely outnumbered other American inventors when it comes to the number of patents credited to him (180 patents in all!).
De Forest invented the Audion in 1906 – the first triode vacuum tube. It was also the first electrical device that could amplify a weak electrical signal to make it stronger (electric amplifier).
3. André Marie Ampere (1775-1836)
In the 17th century, no other physicist could match Ampere’s incomparable knowledge about electrodynamics. His devotion to this field led him to formulate theories that explain how electrodynamics work. The ampere – a unit of electric current was named after him.
One of his most significant discoveries is when he found out that the coil of wires will act like a magnet every time an electric current passes through it. His theory and views about the relationship of electricity and magnetism were published in his “Collection of Observations on Electrodynamics, 1822.”