Celebrities, movie stars and people who appear on TV a lot, seem to be the most respectful people. But people who really change our lives, who push this mankind forward are scientists and inventors.
Thanks to many famous Armenian inventors, the world got more colorful and got a step closer to perfection.
In the “famous Armenian inventors” list you’ll find some inventions which changed lots of lives to better. There might even be some inventions which you’d never guess were made by an Armenian.
Here is the list of the most successful inventions of all times made by Armenians!
Armenians who changed the world
Hovhannes Adamyan -The inventor of Color TV
All of us are addicted to watching TV! Today, modern technologies give us opportunities to enjoy our favorite films and TV shows in best quality: Huge screens, best resolution films and lot of pixels: what else?
Today we are well aware of all this stuff, but have you ever thought about the invention of color television? If not, then it’s high time to know that this invention of century belongs to an Armenian Inventor Hovhannes Adamian.
Hovhannes was born in Soviet Union and then moved to Europe where he continued his education in France, Switzerland and Germany. Hovhannes studied engineering and only than he stared working on his invention, that was about to be a revolution.
However later, in London the principle, invented by Hovhannes Adamyan was used to create the first color television in London, 1928. The invention made by this famous Armenian inventor is included in the list off greatest discoveries of all time.
Luther George Simjian – Inventor of ATM, Color X-Ray and More
This brilliant Armenian inventor is the author of many widely known and not very much known inventions. Among his large list of inventions, it’s essential to state the invention of Automated Teller Machine also known as ATM.
Luther George Sermirjian was born in Ottoman Empire and was orphaned during the Armenian Genocide. Fortunately, he could escape Armenian Genocide and settled in the United States, Connecticut.
The young scientist was very enthusiastic about his professional career. He studied in Yale University in US. Starting his professional career this young Armenian inventor never stopped on his achievements and always tried to reach higher and create something more valuable, which will change the world to better.
He didn’t stop inventing until his death. The fist inventions by Luther George Simijian were color x-ray machine and self focusing camera. This Armenian inventor never liked to limit himself in one particular field. So, the field of his numerous inventions is rather large.
This bright scientist never stopped to impress the world. Very often he was even called “the second Thomas Edison”.
Varazdat Kazanjian – Father of Plastic surgery!
The field of this famous Armenian inventor is rather well known and demanded today. Though fewer of us may recognize the revolutionary pioneer of the field of plastic surgery, the huge input of this Armenian inventor is undeniable.
Invention and developing the field of plastic surgery was a real revolution in the sphere of modern medicine. His invention of removing facial deformations was a booming event which marked the beginning of the new era of plastic surgery.
Varazdat Kazanjian was honored during his lifetime. Living in Ottoman Armenia, Varazdat managed to escape Hamidian Massacres and arrive to United States as a refugee. He started his education at Harvard Dental School and appeared to be a rather successful maxillofacial surgeon.
However, the fame of this Armenian inventor and great doctor especially raised during the World War I. During this period, he treated more than 3000 patients with different facial injuries. His efforts didn’t leave the world indifferent.
This amazing inventor has published over 150 articles throughout his career. In the articles, you can meet the long list of his patients and the descriptions of their treatment.
Thanks to his talent and the ability to think outside the box, he gained many nicknames. One of the best remembered ones is “magician” called by Sigmund Freud.
Christopher Ter-Serobyan – Inventor of Green Color of Dollar
Is it possible to imagine US dollar with another color? This fact may surprise you a lot, but the inventor of the green color of US dollar is Armenian. The color created by Chrisopher Ter-Serobian, cannot be faked.
This is the reason why US dollar has exactly this specific green color. The green color created by Armenian inventor, is very difficult, almost impossible to reproduce. The government of US planned to reach US dollar to the level which would be impossible to fake.
So, in 1854, they requested the young Armenian chemist to create specific color for US dollar which won’t ever be faked.
What’s interesting about this story is that the Armenian inventor got only 6000 dollars for this job which allowed him to continue his professional career.
Emik Avagyan – Man Who Changed the Lives of Disabled
Among many world-famous invention’s list, the invention of Emik Avagyan needs a special honor. This Armenian inventor made the lives of many disabled people much easier with his numerous inventions.
The wheels were controlled with joystick which made the movements of disabled people much easier. This gave disabled people opportunity to be integrated into the society more easily and become the full member of it.
Emik Avagyan’s input in this sphere is incomparably essential. He was awarded by President Kennedy with the prize of “The most outstanding contribution for the benefit of persons with disabilities”
Raymond Vahan Damadian – Inventor of the first MR
Damadian (born March 16, 1936, NY USA) is an Armenian-American medical practitioner and inventor of the first MR (Magnetic Resonance) Scanning Machine. His research into sodium and potassium in living cells led him to his first experiments with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) which caused him to first propose the MR body scanner in 1969. Damadian discovered that tumors and normal tissue can be distinguished in vivo by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) because of their relaxation times. Damadian was the first to perform a full body scan of a human being in 1977 to diagnose cancer. Damadian invented an apparatus and method to use NMR safely and accurately to scan the human body, a method now well known as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan – Designer of MiG military aircraft.
Artem Mikoyam (1905 — 1970) was a Soviet aircraft designer of Armenian descent. In partnership with Mikhail Iosifovich Gurevich he designed many of the famous MiG military aircraft.
From 1952 Mikoyan also designed missile systems to particularly suit his aircraft, such as the famous MiG-21. He continued to produce high performance fighters through the 1950s and 1960s. Mikoyan was born in Sanahin, Armenia on 5 August 1905. He completed his basic education and took a job as a machine-tool operator in Rostov, then worked in the “Dynamo” factory in Moscow before being conscripted into the military. After military service he joined the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy, where he created his first plane, graduating in 1936.
The MiG-21 was the first successful Soviet aircraft combining fighter and interceptor characteristics in a single aircraft. It was a lightweight fighter, achieving Mach 2 with a relatively low-powered afterburning turbojet, and is thus comparable to the American Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter and the French Dassault Mirage III. Its basic layout was used for numerous other Soviet designs; delta-winged aircraft included Su-9 interceptor and the fast E-150 prototype from MiG bureau while the mass-produced successful front fighter Su-7 and Mikoyan’s I-75 experimental interceptor combined a similar fuselage shape with swept-back wings.
Gabriel Kazanjian – Inventor of hair dryer
In 1890 a Frenchman named Alexander Godefroy invented a hair dryer for use in his salon. This dryer was a sit-down dryer with a large metal hood – similar to the ones we see in hair salons today. But in 1911, Armenian-American inventor Gabriel Kazanjian patented the world’s first blow dryer, although it would be several years before the handheld device would go to market. By the 1920s, handheld dryers were commercially available, but heavier than they are today, frequently weighing two pounds and emitting only 100 watts of heat, hardly enough for the Farrah Fawcett-locks of the 1970s.
He was not the only one person working on hair-drying technology . There was a rush of inventors working on improvement of the hair dryer from 1920’s. Lots of these were working with the proven salon power dryer. Patents were awarded to designs for adding a magazine stand/ashtray combo, and for putting speakers into the dryer so clients could listen to music while they waited for their hair to dry.
Jan Józef Ignacy Łukasiewicz – Inventor of kerosene lamp
Łukasiewicz (8 March 1822 – 7 January 1882) was an Armenian-Polish businessman, inventor, and philanthropist. He was a pioneer who in 1856 built the world’s first oil refinery. His achievements included the discovery of how to distill kerosene from seep oil, the invention of the modern kerosene lamp (1853), the introduction of the first modern street lamp in Europe (1853), and the construction one of the world’s first modern oil well (1854).
Łukasiewicz became a wealthy man and one of the most prominent philanthropists in Central Europe’s Galicia. Because of his support for the region’s economic development, a popular saying attributed all paved roads to his guldens.
