Archimedes

Archimedes

It is perhaps fitting that Archimedes should lead the lineup of great inventors, even in an alphabetical fashion. Archimedes was a Greekmathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer and an inventor, producing his best work in the 3rd century BC. His contributions have been invaluable in several fields, but there are some inventions which have made him a cult icon.

 Some of his famous inventions include the ArchimedeanScrew, which was developed in order to remove flooded water from ships. It included a large screw fitted inside a cylinder. As the screw was turned,

water progressively rose into the subsequent grooves, ultimately gushing out at the open end. The Archimedean screw was turned by hand andcould also be used to transfer water from a low-lying body of water into an irrigation canal.

 Till date, the Archimedean screw (or its fundamentalprinciple) is used in pumps. Archimedes is also famous for the (possibly apocryphal) anecdote of his discovery of the Archimedes' Principle uponentering the bathtub and rushing out naked in the joy of having found a solution.

Edwin H. Armstrong

A groundbreaking researcher and inventor in the field of radio, Edwin Howard Armstrong invented the FM transmission. The FM radio has, to amajority of people, become as important a tool in having a cheerful morning as a bath or a cup of coffee. Edwin Armstrong is the one we have tothank for that.

John Vincent Atanasoff

Atanasoff is credited with inventing perhaps the most ubiquitous device in the modern world -- the digital computer. The 'computer' built by Atanasoffwas only designed to be used for 'computing', rather than in the form of the entertainment hubs of today. However, it would be a grave folly to underestimate its importance, considering the indispensable place it has gone on to command in all of our lives.