# Thomas Midgley Jr.

> He solved two of the twentieth century's most vexing engineering problems — engine knock and refrigerant toxicity — with chemicals that would go on to poison millions and tear a hole in the ozone layer.

*American chemist and engineer (1889–1944)*

**Canonical URL:** https://fame.am/person/thomas-midgley-jr

## Identity
- **Profile type:** Scientist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q39631))
- **Category:** Scientists
- **Country:** United States
- **Born:** 1889-05-18
- **Died:** 1944-11-02
- **Status:** deceased
- **Gender:** male

## Bio

Thomas Midgley Jr. was born May 18, 1889, an American mechanical and chemical engineer who earned more than 100 patents over his career. He developed tetraethyl lead for gasoline and the first chlorofluorocarbons, branded as Freon, both hailed as breakthroughs in their time. Midgley knew tetraethyl lead was acutely toxic during its development but publicly insisted leaded gasoline posed no health hazard to users. Both products were eventually banned for their devastating effects on human health and the environment, though the damage from CFCs wasn't understood until decades after his death. In 1940 he contracted polio and became disabled; four years later, on November 2, 1944, he was found strangled by a device he'd invented to help himself out of bed — a death the coroner ruled a suicide.

## Fame
- **Popularity score:** 56.1 / 100
- **Momentum:** 0.0 / 100  (trend: STABLE)
- **Historical depth:** 22.9 / 100
- **Now attention:** 0.0 / 100
- **Source confidence:** 60.0 / 100
- **Profile completeness:** 70.0 / 100

## Topics
#Scientists, #Scientist, #Chemistry, #United States, #Americas, #20th Century

## Sources
- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q324992)
- [Pantheon 2.0](https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Thomas%20Midgley%20Jr.)
- [Thomas Midgley](https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley)
- [Thomas Midgley](https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley)
- [Thomas Midgley Jr.](https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.)
- [Thomas Midgley](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley)
- [Thomas Midgley](https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley)
- [Thomas Midgley](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley)
- [توماس میدگلی جونیور](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B3_%D9%85%DB%8C%D8%AF%DA%AF%D9%84%DB%8C_%D8%AC%D9%88%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%B1)
- [Thomas Midgley, Jr.](https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley%2C_Jr.)
- [Thomas Midgley Jr.](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.)
- [תומאס מידג'לי](https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%A1_%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%93%D7%92'%D7%9C%D7%99)
- [Թոմաս Միջլի](https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D4%B9%D5%B8%D5%B4%D5%A1%D5%BD_%D5%84%D5%AB%D5%BB%D5%AC%D5%AB)
- [Thomas Midgley Jr.](https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.)
- [Thomas Midgley](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley)
- [トマス・ミジリー](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%88%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9F%E3%82%B8%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC)
- [Кіші Томас Миджли](https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D1%96%D1%88%D1%96_%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%81_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B6%D0%BB%D0%B8)
- [토머스 미즐리](https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%ED%86%A0%EB%A8%B8%EC%8A%A4_%EB%AF%B8%EC%A6%90%EB%A6%AC)
- [Thomas Midgley Jr.](https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.)
- [Thomas Midgley](https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley)
- [Thomas Midgley jr.](https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_jr.)
- [Thomas Midgley](https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley)
- [Thomas Midgley](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley)
- [Thomas Midgley Jr.](https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.)
- [توماس ميدغلي](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B3_%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%BA%D9%84%D9%8A)
- [Tomas Micli](https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomas_Micli)

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