On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, fighting between allied nations and Germany ceased. This is the reason that November 11, 1918, is known as the end of “the war to end all wars.” However,  It wasn’t until a year later that President Wilson proclaimed November 11th as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. Today, no matter what day November 11th falls on, the American people celebrate and honor our veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. At ktMINE, to celebrate Veterans Day, we wanted to highlight a few innovations from our Veterans. 

Dr. Emmett W. Chappelle

Emmett W. Chappelle was a Veteran and an American scientist who made numerous contributions in the fields of medicine, philanthropy, food science, and astrochemistry. His achievements got him inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Dr. Emmett W. Chappelle is responsible for developing the following patent for the Method of detecting and counting bacteria. 

veterans day patent - emmett

Norman Woodland

Norman Joseph Woodland was a member of the Army Air Corporation and an American inventor. Norman is well known for being one of the inventors of the barcode, which was patented in October 1952. He was later employed by IBM, where he developed the format which became the Universal Product Code of product labeling.

veterans day patent - woodland

Gary Walters 

Gary Walters, a US Army Sergeant, lost one of his legs after his vehicle was hit by an IED in Iraq. He was later fitted with a prosthetic, however, quickly realized the discomfort that came with it. After earning his engineering degree at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Gary worked on inventing a prosthesis cooling system. The system provides a thermoelectrically cooled environment within the prosthesis socket.

veterans day patent - Walters

Edwin Howard Armstrong

Armstrong first joined the US Signal Corps and was later appointed Captain and stationed in France during World War I. As an inventor, Edwin’s greatest achievement was the creation of FM radio. His inventions were so important that to this day, every radio or television utilizes one or more of his inventions.

Veterans day FM radio

Interested in learning more? Check out the following article by Medium to read up on opportunities and protections that are in place to encourage veterans to register their inventions. Happy Veterans Day!