peoplepill id: john-w-hetrick
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John W. Hetrick
The basics
Quick Facts
| Intro | American engineer and inventor |
| Was | Engineer Inventor |
| From | United States of America |
| Field | Business Engineering |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 23 July 1918 |
| Death | 8 April 1999 (aged 80 years) |
| Star sign | Leo |
The details (from wikipedia)
Biography
John W. Hetrick (July 23, 1918 - April 8, 1999), from Newport, Pennsylvania, was an American engineer who is credited for inventing the airbag. Hetrick originally called the device a "Safety cushion assembly for automotive vehicles." He built the original prototype on his kitchen table in 1952, and applied for a patent on Aug 5, 1952.
He has served as an industrial engineer in the United States Navy and took notable design influences from compressed air torpedoes.
Hetrick received a US Patent #2,649,311 on August 18, 1953 for an "airbag". He did not receive much income for his invention, since automakers did not offer airbags widely until after his patent had expired in 1971.
Hetrick was awarded the Golden Gear Award for his invention.
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Reference sources
References
https://www.google.com/patents/US2649311
http://ae-plus.com/milestones/john-hetrick-inventor-of-the-airbag
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/airbags/airbags_invented.html
https://prezi.com/5azbczl6ztkb/john-w-hetrick/
http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/history-of-airbags.cfm
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86549333