Thomas Midgley Jr.

American chemist and engineer (1889–1944)

  • Fame56.1
  • Momentum0.0
  • Wikipedia25.9K
Source-basedStable
Lived 1889–1944, aged 55United States
  • Wikipedia
    32 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    1889–1944
    Aged 55
  • Awards
    9
    recognised works
Summary
Updated 2026-06-09

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.

Biography

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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…

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The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Stable
56.1
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum0.0
Historical22.9
Source confidence60.0
Completeness70.0
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Sources

  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence