Thomas Midgley, Jr.

Thomas Midgley, Jr. (May 18, 1889 - November 2, 1944), was a American mechanical engineer turned chemist. He developed both the tetra-ethyl lead additive to gasoline and chloro-fluorocarbons (CFCs). While lauded at the time for his discoveries, today his legacy is seen as far more mixed. One historian remarked that Midgley "had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in earth history."

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Midgley graduated from Cornell University in 1911 with a degree in mechanical engineering.

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While working for General Motors, he discovered that leaded gasoline prevented internal combustion engines from "knocking". The subsequent addition of lead to billions of gallons of gasoline eventually spewed huge amounts of lead into the atmosphere, causing health problems around the world. Workers producing the additive were even more greatly affected. In 1924, Midgley took a prolonged vacation to cure himself of lead poisoning — a fact he deliberately kept secret, holding a press conference to demonstrate the "safety" of contact with the substance. In this demonstration, he poured tetra-ethyl lead over his hands, then placed a bottle of the chemical over his nose and breathed it in for sixty seconds, declaring all the while that he could do this every day without succumbing to any problems whatsoever.

May 18: May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). There are 227 days remaining....

1889: 1889 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar)....

1944: 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar)....

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