Harold McMaster
Harold A. McMaster (July 20, 1916 – August 25, 2003) was an inventor with over 100 patents and entrepreneur who founded four companies. Fortune Magazine called him "The Glass Genius". He also worked on developing commercial-scale solar cell technology and developed a new type of engine, the "McMaster Rotary Engine."
Harold A. McMaster | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 20, 1916 Deshler, Ohio, U.S.A. |
| Died | August 25, 2003 (aged 87) Perrysburg, Ohio, U.S.A. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Inventor, scientist, and entrepreneur |
| Known for | Toughened glass |
| Spouse | Helen Clark |
McMaster was an inventor early on. His father gave him a set of tools at age 6. By 8, he had built a set of farm machinery, by 10, a threshing machine that husked corn, and by 12 he was making car motors.
Following his graduation from Ohio State with a combined master's degree in physics, mathematics, and astronomy in 1939, McMaster worked as the first research physicist ever employed by the Libbey Owens Ford Glass in Toledo, Ohio. He received his first patent during World War 2 (WWII) for a periscope used by fighter pilots to see behind them.