Doc Edgerton

Harold Eugene "Doc" Edgerton (April 6, 1903–January 4, 1990) was a professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is largely credited with transforming strobes from an obscure laboratory instrument into a pedestrian device in every camera.

Related Topics:
April 6 - 1903 - January 4 - 1990 - Electrical engineering - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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He grew up in Aurora, Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska. After graduating from UN, he married Esther Garret in 1928. During their marriage they had three children: William, Robert, and Mary Lou.

Related Topics:
Nebraska - University of Nebraska - 1928

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Edgerton first used stroboscopes to study synchronous motors for his PhD thesis at MIT, awarded in 1931. He credited Charles Stark Draper with inspiring him to point strobes at everyday objects: the first was a stream of water coming out of a faucet. He was a pioneer in strobe photography, subsequently using the technique to capture images of balloons during their bursting, or a bullet during its impact with an apple, for example. He was awarded a bronze medal by the Royal Photographic Society in 1934, and the National Medal of Science in 1973. He also invented the Rapatronic camera.

Related Topics:
Charles Stark Draper - Strobe - Photography - 1934 - 1973 - Rapatronic camera

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In 1937 he began a lifelong association with photographer Gjon Mili, who used strobe equipment, particularly "multiflash" strobe, to produce strikingly beautiful photographs, many of which appeared in Life Magazine.

Related Topics:
1937 - Photographer - Gjon Mili - Life Magazine

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He was a cofounder of the company EG&G, with Kenneth Germeshausen and Herbert Grier, in 1947. EG&G became a prime contractor for the Atomic Energy Commission and had a major role in testing nuclear weapons for the United States through the fifties and sixties.

Related Topics:
EG&G - Kenneth Germeshausen - Herbert Grier - 1947 - Atomic Energy Commission

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His work was instrumental in the development of side-scan sonar technology, used to scan the sea floor for wrecks. Edgerton worked with the undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau, by first providing him with underwater strobes, and then by using sonar to discover the Britannic. Edgerton participated in the discovery of the American Civil War battleship USS Monitor.

Related Topics:
Jacques Cousteau - Britannic - American Civil War - USS Monitor

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In addition to having the scientific and engineering acumen to perfect strobes commercially, Edgerton is equally recognized for his visual aesthetic: many of the striking images he created in illuminating phenomena that occurred too fast for the naked eye adorn art museums worldwide.

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He was especially loved by MIT students for his willingness to teach and his kindness: "The trick to education." he said, "is to teach people in such a way that they don't realize they're learning until it's too late."

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