About
Inventor of the light emitting diode, who came to be called the 'father of the LED.' He was given awards by George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Emperor Akihito of Japan, and Vladimir Putin and in 2008 he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He worked as a professor for the University of Illinois for 50 years.
Before Fame
He graduated from the University of Illinois with an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering.
Trivia
In 1963 he told Reader's Digest that LEDs would replace Edison's incandescent bulbs - and he was right. In 2021, he earned the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.
Family Life
He married Katherine Holonyak in 1956; they had three children.
Associated With
George Bush and his son George W. Bush both presented him with awards for his life's work.
