William lear jr
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Bill Lear
American businessman and inventor
Bill Lear | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1902-06-26)June 26, 1902 Hannibal, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | May 14, 1978(1978-05-14) (aged 75) Reno, Nevada, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, inventor |
| Known for | Car radio, 8-track tape, Learjet |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 7, including John Olsen Lear |
| Awards | |
William Powell Lear (June 26, 1902 – May 14, 1978) was an American inventor and businessman. He is best known for founding Learjet, a manufacturer of business jets. He also invented the battery eliminator for the B battery, and developed the car radio and the 8-track cartridge, an audio tape system.[1] Throughout his career of 46 years, Lear received over 140 patents.[2]
Career
Lear was born on June 26, 1902, in Hannibal, Missouri, to Rueben Marion Lear, a carpenter, and Gertrude Elizabeth Powell Lear. His mother left his father and he stayed with
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William P. Lear Facts & Worksheets
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William P. Lear was an American electrical engineer and industrialist whose Learjet Corporation was the first mass manufacturer of business jet aircraft in the world.
Key Facts & Information
Early Life and Career
- William P. Lear was born on June 26, 1902, in Hannibal, Missouri and later moved to Quincy, Illinois.
- From his early youth, he had shown interest in building electronics so by the age of 12, he had built his own radio set with earphones.
- After completing eighth grade, Lear quit school and joined the Navy at age 16 (by lying about his age) during World War I where he became a non-paid “grease monkey” working on US Air Mail plan
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Bill Lear was born in Hannibal, MO on June 26, 1902. He died of leukemia at age 75 May 14, 1978 in Reno, NV. He was one of the most illuminating and tenacious inventors and entrepreneurs of the 20th century. A document in his NASM biographical file (cited, left sidebar) described him as an, "Inventor, designer, test pilot, business man, music lover, and realist."
Indeed, Lear held over 150 patents for things mechanical and electronic that have affected the lives of most human beings. Among them, he invented the automobile radio. Who among you hasn't listened to a car radio? Or, for those who remember such things, the 8-track tape player, which Lear also invented for automobiles.
He invented the autopilot and other guidance instruments for airplanes. True, the technology behind these devices has changed over the years, but the fundamental operating principle survives in most automobiles and aircraft today, and we have Lear to thank for that.
As well, he and his company designed, developed and manufactured a line of small, sleek executive jet aircraft. T
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