Theodore Maiman
American physicist/Inventor of first working laser · United States · On the map · Scientists · Lived 1927 to 2007 · aged 79
Theodore Harold Maiman was an American engineer and physicist who is widely credited with the invention of the laser. Maiman's laser led to the subsequent development of many other types of lasers. The laser was successfully fired on May 16, 1960.
Theodore Maiman is read about 110 times a day, in 34 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 104 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?A life in dates
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![One of Maiman's original synthetic ruby lasers, dimension 9x18mm[15]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/6_Maiman_Laser_Ruby_Crystal.jpg/500px-6_Maiman_Laser_Ruby_Crystal.jpg)
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About this person
In a July 7, 1960, press conference in Manhattan, Maiman and his employer, Hughes Aircraft Company, announced the laser to the world. Maiman was granted a patent for his invention, and he received many awards and honors for his work. His experiences in developing the first laser and subsequent related events are recounted in his book, The Laser Odyssey, later being republished in 2018 under a new title, The Laser Inventor: Memoirs of Theodore H. Maiman.
The same award as Theodore
Victor WeisskopfBoth received Wolf Prize in Physics
Mildred DresselhausBoth received Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize
Jacob BekensteinBoth received Wolf Prize in Physics
Leo KadanoffBoth received Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize
Ferenc KrauszBoth received Wolf Prize in Physics
Clifford ShullBoth received Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize