Elihu Thomson

Elihu Thomson ( born March 29, 1853 in Manchester, England, † March 13, 1937 in Swampscott, Massachusetts ) was a British-American electrical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur.

Life and work

Elihu Thomson is attributed the invention of resistance welding to 1877. He has spearheaded the construction of X-ray machines, arc lamps, AC motors, etc., also conducted research in the field of AC technology and reported on in the course of his life hundreds of patents.

In 1879 he founded the American Electric Company, which after the acquisition of Edwin J. Houston shares to Thomson Houston Electric Company in 1883. From this was formed in 1892 after a merger with the Edison General Electric Company General Electric Company (GE). In addition, remember the company names Thomson Elihu Thomson (now Technicolor ) and Alstom.

Elihu Thomson 1909 was also the first recipient of the Edison Medal. For his inventions and scientific achievements, he was also honored by other scientific societies, institutions and states.