DavesFunStuff
MegaBirthdays
Pay Webmaster
Amazon
Surf Anonymously
| By clicking through the names and titles to read more details and making a purchase, you can help the webmaster pay for hosting expenses. Thank you, readers. |
Felix Wankel -- b.8/13/1902 d.10/9/1988 (86)
Engineer, Inventor, German
Misc: the first rotary internal combustion engine
Otto Warburg -- b.10/8/1883 d.8/1/1970 (86)
Chemist, Physiologist, German
Fred Waring -- b.6/9/1900 d.7/29/1984 (84)
Inventor, Variety Show Host, Director, Conductor/Composer, Arranger, Songwriter, Banjoist, Violinist, Bandleader
Names/Places: b. in Tyrone, PA
Misc: Chorals; Waring blender inventor
Group Names: Pennsylvanians (lead)
TV Shows: The Fred Waring Show, Glee Club
Worcester Reed Warner -- b.5/6/1846 d.6/25/1929 (83)
Astronomer, Engineer, Inventor, Philanthropist
Misc: pioneer in the machine-tool industry, benefactor to science, and co-founder of Warner and Swasey Company
John Collins Warren -- b.8/1/1778 d.5/4/1856 (77)
Physician, Surgeon
Dr. Joseph Warren -- b.6/11/1741 d.9/17/1775 (34)
Revolutionary, Physician
Gerald J. Wasserberg -- b.3/25/1927
Scientist, Geologist, Geophysicist
Benjamin Waterhorse -- b.3/4/1754 d.10/2/1846 (92)
Physician
Lewis Waterman -- b.11/18/1837 d.5/1/1901 (63)
Inventor, Manufacturer
Misc: fountain pens
James Dewey Watson -- b.4/6/1928
Scientist, Biochemist, Biologist, Geneticist, Zoologist
Misc: co-discoverer the DNA structure
John Broadus Watson -- b.1/9/1878 d.9/25/1958 (80)
Psychologist
Misc: spokesman for behaviorism
Dr. Thomas A. Watson -- b.1/18/1854 d.12/13/1934 (80)
Engineer
Names/Places: MN:Augustus
Misc: Alexander Graham Bell's assistant
Sir Robert Watson-Watt -- b.4/13/1892 d.12/6/1973 (81)
Engineer, Physicist, Scotish
Misc: invented the radar, which was a major factor in the defeat of Germany in WWII; d. Dec 5?
James E. Watt -- b.1/19/1736 d.8/19/1819 (83)
Engineer, Inventor, Scotish
Misc: Scottish engineer (Get it? Engineer Scotty?!?); of the Steam Engine; d. Aug 25?
Beatrice Porter Webb -- b.1/21/1858 d.4/30/1943 (85)
Scientist, Sociologist, Economist, English
Max Weber -- b.4/21/1864 d.6/14/1920 (56)
Author, Scientist, Sociologist, Professor, German
Misc: Theorist of Liberal Imperialism
James Weddell -- b.8/24/1787 d.9/9/1834 (47)
Explorer, Navigator, English
Misc: Antarctic explorer, Weddell Sea
Josiah Wedgwood -- b.7/12/1730 d.1/3/1795 (64)
Artist, Potterist, Inventor, English
Thomas Wedgwood -- b.5/14/1771 d.7/10/1805 (34)
Photographer, Inventor, British
Names/Places: Josiah's son
Alfred L. Wegener -- b.11/1/1880 d.11/??/1930 (50)
Scientist, Geophysicist, Meterologist, German
Misc: formulated the first complete statement of the continental drift hypothesis.
Chaim Weizmann -- b.11/27/1874 d.11/9/1952 (77)
Scientist, Head of State, Russian
Misc: the first president of Israel in 1948
John Francis "Jack" Welch Jr. -- b.11/19/1935
Author, Engineer, Businessperson, Executive
Misc: former General Electric CEO & chairman; wasn't he the one who refused to shake David Letterman's hand?
William Welch -- b.4/8/1850 d.4/30/1934 (84)
Scientist, Bacteriologist, Pathologist
Misc: founded John Hopkins
Thomas Weller -- b.6/15/1915 d.8/23/2008 (93)
Scientist, Bacteriologist
Walter Wellman -- b.11/3/1858 d.1/31/1934 (75)
Aeronautical, Aviator, Explorer, Journalist
| By clicking through the names and titles to read more details and making a purchase, you can help the webmaster pay for hosting expenses. Thank you, readers. |
William Augustus W. Wellman -- b.2/29/1896 d.12/9/1975 (79)
Screen/Scriptwriter, Aviator, Movie Producer/Director
Names/Places: b. in Brookline, Mass
Misc: WWI flying ace
Movie Titles: A Star is Born, The Ox Bow Incident
Horace Wells -- b.1/21/1815 d.1/24/1848 (33)
Dentist
Misc: pioneer in use of medical anethesia.
Carl Auer Welsbach -- b.9/1/1858 d.8/4/1929 (70)
Chemist, Engineer, Austrian
Misc: invented the gas mantle, thus allowing the greatly increased output of light by gas lamps.
Abraham Werner -- b.9/25/1750 d.6/30/1817 (66)
Geologist, German
Alfred Werner -- b.12/12/1866 d.11/15/1919 (52)
Chemist, Swiss
Max Wertheimer -- b.4/15/1880 d.10/12/1943 (63)
Author, Psychologist, German
Daniel Wesson -- b.5/18/1825 d.8/4/1906 (81)
Inventor, Manufacturer
Misc: firearms; founded (Horace) Smith & Wesson Co.
David Wesson -- b.1/14/1861 d.5/22/1934 (73)
Chemist
Misc: created Wesson Oil, Florence Henderson wouldn't have Wessonality without him!
Dr. Ruth Westheimer -- b.6/4/1928
Author, Doctor, Psychologist, Columnist, TV Talk Show Hostess, German
Names/Places: RFMN:Karola Ruth Siegel
George Westinghouse -- b.10/6/1846 d.3/12/1914 (67)
Inventor, Manufacturer
Misc: The Air Brake, founded own company, Standardized U.S. current; held 400 patents
Edward Weston -- b.5/9/1850 d.8/20/1936 (86)
Inventor, Manufacturer, American, British
Karl Weyprecht -- b.9/8/1838 d.3/29/1881 (42)
Explorer, German
Sir Charles Wheatstone -- b.2/6/1802 d.10/19/1875 (73)
Scientist, Inventor, British
Misc: The Wheatstone bridge was a device that accurately measured electrical resistance and became widely used in laboratories. He didn't actually invent the "Wheatstone Bridge".; One of his contemporaries, Samuel Hunter Christie, came up with the idea of the bridge circuit, but Wheatstone set the precedent for using it in the way in which it has been most commonly used.; Over time, the device became associated with him and took on his name.
Sir Mortimer Wheeler -- b.9/10/1890 d.7/22/1976 (85)
Scientist, Archaeologist, British
Misc: a great popularizer for his subject, particularly on TV.
Schuyler S. Wheeler -- b.5/17/1860 d.4/20/1923 (62)
Inventor
Misc: invented the two-blade electric fan in 1882
Cullen Whipple -- b.9/4/1801 d.10/23/1858 (57)
Machinist, Inventor
Misc: patented the screw machine
Fred Whipple -- b.11/5/1906 d.8/30/2004 (97)
Astronomer
Misc: discovered 6 comets
George Hoyt Whipple -- b.8/28/1878 d.2/1/1976 (97)
Pathologist, Astrophysicist, Educator
Misc: Nobel-1934
Squire Whipple -- b.9/16/1804 d.3/15/1888 (83)
Engineer, Inventor
Misc: also a theoretician who provided the first scientifically based rules for bridge construction.
Edward H. White II -- b.11/14/1930 d.1/27/1967 (36)
Astronaut
Misc: died in Apollo I fire
Marco Pierre White -- b.12/11/1961 N.S.
Author, Chef, Restaurateur, English
Paul Dudley White -- b.6/6/1886 d.10/31/1973 (87)
Physician
Peregrine White -- b.11/20/1620 d.7/20/1704 (83)
Pioneer, Settler
Names/Places: the son of William and Susanna White
Misc: was born aboard the Mayflower in Massachusetts Bay; the first child to be born of English parents in present-day New England
Alfred North Whitehead -- b.2/15/1861 d.12/30/1947 (86)
Philosopher, Mathematician, English
Marcus Whitman -- b.9/4/1802 d.11/29/1847 (45)
Pioneer, Missionary
Misc: led to the U.S. securing Oregon; In 1836 his family became the first whites to reach the Pacific coast by wagon train. Whitman and his wife Narcissa were murdered by the Cayuse Indians in present-day Washington state in 1847.
| By clicking through the names and titles to read more details and making a purchase, you can help the webmaster pay for hosting expenses. Thank you, readers. |
Asa Whitney -- b.12/1/1791 d.8/??/1872
Inventor, Manufacturer
Misc: Railroad car wheels; b. in 1797?
Eli Whitney -- b.12/8/1765 d.1/8/1825 (59)
Inventor
Misc: The Cotton Gin and the concept of mass production of interchangable parts
Josiah Whitney -- b.11/23/1819 d.8/19/1896 (76)
Geologist
Jim Whittacker -- b.2/10/1929
Explorer
Misc: the first American to climb Mount Everest
Sir Frank Whittle -- b.6/1/1907 d.8/8/1996 (89)
Aeronautical, Engineer, Inventor, English
Misc: invented a jet engine
Sir Joseph Whitworth -- b.12/21/1803 d.1/22/1887 (83)
Engineer, Inventor, English
Misc: won international recognition as a machine toolmaker.
Edward Whymper -- b.4/27/1840 d.9/16/1911 (71)
Mountaineer, Naturalist, British
Misc: the first to climb Matterhorn in 1865
Heinrich Wieland -- b.6/4/1877 d.1/27/1951 (73)
Chemist, German
Wilheim Wien -- b.1/13/1864 d.8/30/1928 (64)
Physicist, German
Norbert Wiener -- b.11/26/1894 d.3/18/1964 (69)
Linguist, Philosopher, Mathematician
Misc: invented cybernetics
Torsten Wiesel -- b.6/3/1924
Scientist, Neurophysiologist, Swedish
Sir Vincent Brian Wigglesworth -- b.4/17/1899 d.2/11/1994 (94)
Scientist, English
Misc: entomologist, noted for his contribution to the study of insect physiology.
Eugene Paul Wigner -- b.11/17/1902 d.1/1/1995 (92)
Mathematician, Physicist, Hungarian
Misc: played a prominent role in the development of the atomic bomb and nuclear energy
Charles Wilkes -- b.4/3/1798 d.2/8/1877 (78)
Naval Officer, Explorer
Misc: sailed around the world
Maurice Wilkes -- b.6/26/1913 d.11/29/2010 (97)
Inventor, Computer Scientist
Misc: invented the stored program concept for computers
Sir George Hubert Wilkins -- b.10/31/1888 d.12/1/1958 (70)
Aviator, Explorer, Australian
Misc: the first to fly over North & South poles; advanced the use of the airplane and pioneered the use of the submarine for polar research.
Maurice Wilkins -- b.12/15/1916 d.10/5/2004 (87)
Scientist, Physicist, Biophysicist, New Zealand
Misc: worked with DNA
Roy Wilkins -- b.8/30/1901 d.9/8/1981 (80)
Pioneer, Editor, Civil Rights Leader, Social Reformer, Political Activist
Misc: N.A.A.C.P.
John Wilkinson -- b.??/??/1728 d.7/14/1808
Inventor
Misc: pioneered the use and manufacture of cast iron and cast-iron goods in the Industrial Revolution.
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams -- b.1/18/1858 d.8/4/1931 (73)
Surgeon, Educator
Misc: performed the first open heart operation
Jonathan Williams -- b.5/20/1750 d.5/16/1815 (64)
Soldier, Engineer, Merchant
Robert R. Williams -- b.2/16/1886 d.10/2/1965 (79)
Chemist, India
Misc: the first to synthesize thiamine (Vitamin B1)
William Carlos Williams -- b.9/17/1883 d.3/4/1963 (79)
Writer, Poet, Doctor, Physician
Hugh Williamson -- b.12/5/1735 d.5/22/1819 (83)
Scientist, Politician
Misc: legislator
James Robert Williamson -- b.10/29/1949
Engineer, Music Producer, Songwriter, Rock & Roll Guitarist
Group Names: The Stooges
| By clicking through the names and titles to read more details and making a purchase, you can help the webmaster pay for hosting expenses. Thank you, readers. |
Thomas Willis -- b.1/27/1621 d.11/11/1675 (54)
Physician, British
Richard Willstatter -- b.8/13/1872 d.8/3/1942 (69)
Chemist, German
Misc: studied the structure of chlorophyll and other plant pigments
Alfred Wilm -- b.6/25/1869 d.8/6/1937 (68)
Scientist, German
Misc: Metallurgist
Alexander Wilson -- b.7/6/1766 d.8/23/1813 (47)
Poet, Scientist, Naturalist, Ornithologist, Scotish
Charles T. R. Wilson -- b.2/14/1869 d.11/15/1959 (90)
Scientist, Scotish
Edmund Beecher Wilson -- b.10/19/1856 d.3/3/1939 (82)
Biologist
Misc: researches in embryology and cytology
Edward Osborne Wilson -- b.6/10/1929
Biologist
Misc: recognized as the world's leading authority on ants. He was also the foremost proponent of sociobiology, the study of the genetic basis of the social behaviour of all animals, including humans.
Justin "Cajun Chef" Wilson -- b.4/24/1914 d.9/5/2001 (87)
Humorist, Chef
Kenneth Wilson -- b.6/8/1936 d.6/15/2013 (77)
Physicist
Robert Woodrow Wilson -- b.1/10/1936
Astronomer, Physicist
Newton Horace Winchell -- b.12/17/1839 d.5/2/1914 (74)
Geologist
Paul Winchell -- b.12/21/1922 d.6/24/2005 (82)
Inventor, Actor, Cartoon Voice Actor, Puppet Actor, Ventriloquist
Names/Places: b. in New York City
Misc: puppetmaster with Jerry Mahoney & Knucklehead Smiff; voiced many Hanna-Barbera shows; The Scrubbing Bubble; artifical heart inventor
TV Shows: The Paul Winchell Show (1950s), Circus Time (ringmaster), Dastardly & Muttley and Their Flying Machines (as Dick Dastardly), Goober & the Ghost Chaser (as Goober), The Smurfs (as Gargamel), Winnie the Pooh (as Tigger)
Major Walter Clopton Wingfield -- b.9/16/1833 d.4/18/1912 (78)
Inventor, Tennis Player, British
Names/Places: NN: The Father of Tennis
John Winthrop -- b.12/19/1714 d.5/3/1779 (64)
Astronomer, Physicist
Misc: first American astronomer
Louis Wirth -- b.8/28/1897 d.5/3/1952 (54)
Sociologist
Misc: urban problems
John Wise -- b.2/24/1808 d.9/28/1879 (71)
Aeronautical, Aviator
Misc: unsure of death date
Georg Wittig -- b.6/16/1897 d.8/26/1987 (90)
Chemist, German
Friedrich Wohler -- b.7/31/1800 d.9/23/1882 (82)
Chemist, German
Misc: co-discovered Vandium
Max Wolf -- b.6/21/1863 d.10/3/1932 (69)
Astronomer, German
Misc: Milky Way; applied photography to the search for asteroids and discovered 228 of them.
James Wood -- b.9/14/1816 d.5/4/1882 (65)
Surgeon
Jethro Wood -- b.3/16/1774 d.??/??/1834
Inventor
Misc: inventor of cheap standardized farm equipment parts
Robert Wood -- b.5/2/1868 d.8/11/1955 (87)
Physicist
Granville T. Woods -- b.4/23/1856 d.1/30/1910 (53)
Inventor
Misc: telegraph for railways
Robert Burns Woodward -- b.4/10/1917 d.7/8/1979 (62)
Scientist, Chemist, Professor
Misc: best-known for his syntheses of complex organic substances, including quinine (1944), cholesterol and cortisone (1951), and vitamin B{sub 12} (1971). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1965.
Sir Charles Woolley -- b.4/17/1880 d.2/20/1960 (79)
Scientist, Archaeologist, British
| By clicking through the names and titles to read more details and making a purchase, you can help the webmaster pay for hosting expenses. Thank you, readers. |
Alfred Worden -- b.2/7/1932
Astronaut, Engineer
Fanny Workman -- b.1/8/1859 d.1/22/1925 (66)
Explorer, Geographer
Misc: mountain climber
Hannah Marie Wormington -- b.9/5/1914 d.5/31/1994 (79)
Archaeologist
Sir Christopher Wren -- b.10/20/1632 O.S. d.2/25/1723 (90)
Architect, Astronomer, Mathematician, English
Misc: 52 London Churches; greatest English architect of his time, built many of the cathedrals in London
Benjamin Wright -- b.10/10/1770 d.8/24/1842 (71)
Engineer
Misc: directed the construction of the Erie Canal. Because he trained so many engineers on that project, Wright has been called the "father of American engineering."
John Lloyd Wright -- b.12/12/1892 d.12/20/1972 (80)
Architect, Engineer
Names/Places: Frank's son
Misc: Invented Lincoln Logs in 1916.
Orville Wright -- b.8/19/1871 d.1/30/1948 (77)
Aviator, Inventor
Misc: Airplane co-inventor with brother Wilbur
Sewall Wright -- b.12/21/1889 d.3/3/1988 (98)
Scientist, Geneticist
Names/Places: He was the brother of the political scientist Quincy Wright.
Misc: one of the founders of population genetics
Wilbur Wright -- b.4/16/1867 d.5/30/1912 (45)
Aviator, Inventor
Names/Places: b. in Millville, IN; Orville's brother
Misc: co-inventor first power-driven airplane 12-7-1903 with brother Orville
William Wright -- b.11/4/1871 d.5/16/1959 (87)
Astronomer
Wilhelm Wundt -- b.8/16/1832 d.8/31/1920 (88)
Scientist, Psychologist, German
Misc: father of scientific psychology
Rudolph Wurlitzer -- b.1/31/1831 d.1/14/1914 (82)
Inventor, Manufacturer, German
Misc: the first automatic electric playing organs (Gee Dad It's a Wurlitzer!); born between Jan 30 and Feb 1
Ralph Wyckoff -- b.8/9/1897 d.11/3/1994 (97)
Scientist
Misc: a pioneer in the application of X-ray methods to determine crystal structures and one of the first to use these methods for studying biological substances.
Nathaniel Wyeth -- b.10/24/1911 d.7/6/1990 (78)
Inventor
Names/Places: Andrew's brother
Misc: invented the plastic soda bottle
Horace Wyman -- b.11/27/1827 d.5/8/1915 (87)
Inventor
Misc: 260 patents related to looms & textile machinery
| ||||||||
© 1995-2017. davesfunstuff.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website without expressed written consent is prohibited.
